Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Lost in Time
by CrizBN
Summary: The word "normal" is a funny word. When your life is less than kind to you, it suddenly begins to lose its usual meaning. When life takes a trip, you had better hold on tight. Otherwise you might just find your life turned on its head. Follow the adventures of a not so normal human as he tries to survive the life of a pokemon. PMD: EoT/D/S. Complete. Novelization. Expansion.
1. We're Friends, Kind of

DISCLAIMER: I own darn near nothing, all I have to my name here are the typos.

Chapter 1: We're Friends, Kind of...

Two figures were running down a dusty highway at what appeared to be nighttime. As they ran, they came upon a hatchback on the side of the road. The larger of the two stopped and looked into the car's window.

"Hey, I think there's stuff we can use in here. Come over and take a look." The larger one gestured for the smaller one to come over.

The smaller one peered into the window. _Yeah, there's goods in there all right__, _the smaller one thought to himself.

"Do you think it's worth our time?" The bigger one started fiddling around in his bag, searching for something.

The smaller one elbowed the passenger-side window, breaking it, reached in, and opened the door.

"I'll take that as a yes then. Here, take a flashlight." The larger figure threw a flashlight at his companion.

The two clicked on their flashlights at the same time.

"Okay then, what do we have in here that we can use?"

They began searching the car for anything, but before they started, the bigger one broke off the rear-view mirror.

"Best to keep that mirror under wraps, don't want just anyone to find us."

As they searched the car, the flashlights illuminated more than just the car.

The larger one had dark, overgrown brown hair, and had dark brown eyes. His stocky build was clearly cramped in the small hatchback, and he had to bend into unnatural positions just to get into the front seats.

"You know what? I'm going to go check out the boot instead."

He climbed out of the car and opened the back door.

_You mean trunk, right?_ the smaller one thought.

He was of a smaller, more nimble size, and seemed to have an easier time searching the hatchback's interior. He seemed to be used to this kind of thing, but he always kept to the shadows, meaning you couldn't get a good look at him.

"Hey, I think I might have found something that would give me an edge." The bigger one came up from behind the rear seats.

The smaller one continued searching.

"I found a baseball bat with some balls in a duffel bag back here. Reminds me of when the sun shone." He shined his flashlight into the car. "You still there, buddy?"

The smaller one stopped. He seemed to be remembering.

_Ah, when the sun shone. I miss that wonderful feeling._ He was the one who missed the sun more of the two. He came up into the light of his friend's flashlight, and for the first time, his appearance was clear.

He was humanoid in shape, but had green skin, and a red underbelly. His eyes were yellowish slits, and leaves grew off his wrists and the top of his head.

"Man, I wish I could understand you word for word, Grovyle, it would make life a hell of a lot easier."

The two could both speak, but the human couldn't understand the pokemon. It could just never happen, unless if he had a psychic translator.

"Hey, I always wanted one of these!"

_Hm?_

"Check it out!" The human put on a blue wooly cap. "Looks good, huh?" He smiled.

Grovyle smiled back. It was little things like that that made it possible to have fun in these dark times, or lack thereof.

"Anyway, let's see what we have."

They laid out what they found in the car. It wasn't much.

"Alright then, we have: a map, a baseball bat, three baseballs, two bags of trail mix, a mirror, some string, an empty duffel bag, this hat, some loose change, the keys to the car, and a small, blue messenger bag, also empty." The boy thought for a moment. "I'm keeping the messenger bag, bat, and hat. The map's out of date, we can't use it." The two heard someone's stomach rumble. "But before we set off, let's open one of those bags of trail mix, Grovyle."

They had a nice meal of trail mix. The boy ate most of the pretzels and nuts, while Grovyle got most of the raisins and seeds. It was a pretty fair split.

"Right, we're gonna need to make up for lost time, so let's see if this thing starts. If it does, we might just be able to make to your friend on time."

Grovyle hated to admit it, but the boy was right. They had wasted over an hour at the hatchback, and they would have to run the rest of the twenty miles to her to get there in time. Neither had_ that_ much endurance.

The boy stuck the key into the ignition. Then, he turned it.

"Whoa-ho!"

The engine sputtered to life, but he saw that the engine was running on fumes.

"Well, at least it'll get us back on schedule."

* * *

><p>The engine died around five miles from where they needed to be, but they had made good time, so it would just be a leisurely walk to their destination.<p>

As they left, Grovyle stuffed the remaining trail mix into his satchel. The boy slung the messenger bag over his shoulder and held his new bat.

As they began walking, the boy decided to try conversation.

"Grovyle, we're going to travel in time, aren't we?"

He nodded.

"Say, do you think that in the past, we'll be able to see the stars again?"

Grovyle thought for a moment, then did a kind of shrug.

"I sure hope so, I really miss being able to see all the constellations. I remember, how, once, before time went to hell, my dad brought me up into the mountains, to see my grandparents when I was six. The car broke down on the side of the mountain, and we were stuck there for the night. We slept in the car, and it was so cold."

Grovyle shivered at the thought.

"It was so cold, that we woke up in the middle of the night, and both looked out the window. I'll never forget what I saw there."

Grovyle knew where this was heading.

"We both went out to get a better look, and off the side of the mountain, we could see the Milky Way. It was beautiful."

The boy actually got tears in his eyes at the thought, which surprised Grovyle. The boy had been beaten so hard when he had found him, and he hadn't even whimpered. He just was wincing, and said "Thanks" when he saved him. Grovyle thought that if that hadn't made him cry, nothing could. He was wrong.

"My dad and I, we just sat there, on the guardrail, looking out at the sky, and we talked, talked about stuff, small stuff, but it was special that night."

The boy was actually shedding tears.

"He and I, we saw the world as it was meant to be. Alive, and glorious. I'm willing to do anything, _anything, _to make sure that that kind of stuff can happen in the future that we will make. For others."

Grovyle wrapped himself around the boy and hugged him. He knew what would happen if their plan worked, and he was pretty sure the boy knew too. Yet, he still went along with it.

"Come on, let's get moving."

They began to move.

* * *

><p>They walked into a clearing, and then eight dark Sableye with jeweled eyes ambushed them.<p>

"Shit!"

They were surrounded on all sides. They all got ready for a fight.

Grovyle readied his Leaf Blade, and the boy got in position to swing his bat.

The Sableye all attacked.

Grovyle attacked two Sableye at once, and KO'd them both, but not without screaming a battle cry.

"LEAF BLADE!"

The boy couldn't understand the words, all he heard was repetition of the Pokemon's name, but he had problems of his own.

"Batter up!"

He swung at two Sableye, sending them off into a tree's trunk, both were KO'd.

"And it's a home run!" The boy smiled. "I guess I'm useful in a fight after all, aren't I?"

They made quick work of the remaining foes.

"Come on, let's hurry before Dusk-"

"You shall go no further!"

The boy didn't understand the language, but he knew that voice better than anyone.

They turned around to see a dark figure with a single, glowing, red, evil eye.

"Aw crap! Speak of the devil, I guess."

"You and your friend have gone far enough, Grovyle!"

"Screw you, Dusknoir!" Grovyle yelled as he used Leaf Blade.

Dusknoir grabbed the blade, and they began wrestling.

The boy looked for an opening, then. THWACK! He hit him clear across the head.

Dusknoir was knocked to the ground and looked onward as Grovyle and the human ran away.

"Dammit!"

* * *

><p>They ran to the meeting place, where they met Celebi. The boy was surprised to see that she was pink, instead of the usual green. <em>What was it called? Oh right! She's "shiny."<em>

He just decided to stand back a bit.

"Um, Grovyle, how about you do the negotiations? I feel that I'm gonna be pretty useless here."

Grovyle nodded.

"Celebi, are we able to head through the passage?" Grovyle asked.

"Yes you are, but I'm not sure about the human, who is he?" Celebi was worried.

"He's Chris, don't worry, he's my friend."

"If you say so." She didn't seem convinced. "He looks like a thief."

"Isn't that what we're going to be doing, though?"

"Ha! You're good, darling. Come on, follow me."

Grovyle motioned for Chris to follow.

"Done already? Got it!" He adjusted his bag then ran up to follow them.

They saw the Portal through time and space.

_On the other side is your destination, be careful, okay?_ Celebi decided to transmit her message through telepathy so that the human would understand too. Even if it was just an excuse for blowing his mind.

"Um, okay?" Chris said. "Let's get going."

They stepped into the portal. Celebi left the scene, leaving the portal to dissipate on its own.

It dissipated after seven seconds, but in that time, something else hitched a ride.

* * *

><p>"This is amazing!" Chris was excited at the prospect of traveling through spacetime, and he was having fun in the environment of the vortex. It was a zero gravity chamber.

Grovyle couldn't help but enjoy himself

_Won't be enjoying themselves for long, _Dusknoir smirked to himself.

The boy then saw something coming for them, a malicious ball of evil, dark energy.

"Holy shit!"

His only thought was to protect the only friend he had for these long weeks.

"Look out!"

He grabbed Grovyle and pulled him out of the way of the energetic ball, but at a price.

"ARGH!" He had to put himself in the path of the ball. It hurt like hell, to say the least.

"Chris!" Grovyle was shocked, the boy had put himself in harm's way to protect him. And now he was slipping away. He reached out to the boy and grabbed him.

"HOLD ON!" Grovyle was panicking at this point, he couldn't lose him here, anywhere but _here!_

"I can't- I-I-I'm slipping!" Chris could barely see clearly anymore.

"W-W-W-Whoa! Waaaaaaaaah!" Was the last either of the two heard before the boy slipped off into the dark.


	2. What the Hell?

DISCLAIMER: I own darn near nothing, all I have to my name here are the typos.

Chapter Two: What the Hell?

_Welcome to Chris's Head_

_Damn, my head!_ It hurt as if it was exploding, _Shit, why am I not dead yet? It hurts so damn much!  
><em>

I slipped back into the darkness.

_Welcome to Third Person  
><em>

It's sundown on a cliff. Visible in the front is a building in the shape of the upper half of a Wigglytuff, with a grate in front of the entrance, apparently there for a purpose other than show. A Vulpix is pacing in front of the grate, seemingly torn about something.

"Oh... I can't do it." She seems to be arguing with herself. "No! I won't let my feelings get the better of me! I'm going to go in!"

She walks over the grate.

"Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected!" A foreign voice calls from below.

"Ah!" The Vulpix is clearly shocked.

A second voice calls out, "Who is it? Who is it?"

"The footprint belongs to Vulpix!" It says. "The footprint is Vulpix's!

"Wah!" She comes off the grate.

"Ah, that was shocking. I can't do it! I thought my treasure would help me, but, no, it didn't help." She takes out a fragment of something, it has ornate designs on it, appearing to have some value to. "I'm such a darn coward!"

She walks off, dejected.

Two figures come out from behind a bush as she leaves.

"You see that Zubat?" Says the one the who looks like a toxic ball.

"Oh yeah, Koffing, the twerp had something on her, might have some value attached to it." This one looks like a bat, purple, like his companion.

"Do we go to, ahem, collect it?"

"What do you think?"

"Yes."

"Correct, we do."

They go off in the direction the Vulpix went.

* * *

><p>Vulpix walked over to the beach. At the beach, the waves were slowly lapping against the sand, and the Krabby were blowing bubbles which each individually reflected the sunset. All in all, it was quite a sight.<p>

"Oh, this is beautiful! As always. This always helps me to get over things. Oh, well, I guess I couldn't join the Guild after all. I'm such a coward." She spoke to herself once again. "This place helps heal my spirits. It's just always a great place to be."

She then noticed something, like a soft moan. Somewhere to her left.

"Hm...?" She looked over. "Oh gosh!" She ran in the direction she looked. _Someone's collapsed in the sand!_

She reached the figure, he stirred, and then he got up. _Oh its a Riolu. Is he injured?_ "Oh..., my head!"

"It's good to see you're awake! I was really worried there for a second!"

_Huh, did that Vulpix just speak, or am I imagining things?_

"Hey, I'm Vulpix, you weren't moving, so I came over. Do you have any idea how you ended up unconscious on the beach?"

_I was unconscious?_

"Hey, you're acting strange, are you O.K.?" Vulpix was honestly worried about the Riolu.

"How can I understand you?" He was really confused at this point.

"Well, all pokemon can understand each other can't they?"

"Yeah, I guess, but aren't I human?"

"Ha! You're funny! You look like a normal Riolu to me!"

"Huh?" The Riolu sized himself up.

"What the hell?"

_Welcome to Chris's Mind_

"What's wrong?" said the talking Vulpix.

"Last time I checked, I was human!" I yelled at her. _How the f*** did this happen?_

"Yeah, right," She didn't seem convinced. "How can I be sure that you're not just pulling my leg?"

"You can't," I replied. "In all honesty, you can't trust me, but you gotta believe me!"

"All right then, whatever you say, Riolu."

"I have a name you know."

"Oh yeah, what is it, then?"

"My name's Chris." I said.

"Charmed." She wasn't impressed.

I noticed something in the sand a few feet away from me.

"Hey, is that my bag?"

I made a move to it. But then, two jerks pushed us both down.

"Oof! Hey! What the hell?" I was shocked at their behavior.

"Hey, pardon me!" the bat-like one rudely said.

"Why'd you do that?" Vulpix was indignant.

"To piss you off." Said the Koffing

"We also did it to get this!" Said the Zubat as he took the ornate stone Vulpix dropped.

"Hey look, a bonus!" Koffing said gesturing at my messenger's bag. Zubat took that too.

"Oi! Why are you taking our stuff, seriously!" That had _all_ my stuff in it, so of course I was mad.

"Because we can, you whelp!"

"Come on, Koffing, let's go."

They ran off into a nearby cave.

"Oh, they took my fragment. I can't lose _that!_" Vulpix was on the edge of tears.

"They took my bag, and I'm not gonna stand for that!" I began to go after them.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Vulpix was following me.

"Guess we can team up for this." _Gonna need some back-up for this._

* * *

><p>We entered the cave.<p>

As we went down, I noticed that the cave seemed to be organized like a building. We find stairs, we walk down them. We went down to the fourth level, and we found the thieves.

"Oi! D***s!" I called out to them.

"Chris! Language!" Vulpix was embarrassed by my talking.

"Oh look, it's the chickens!" Koffing said.

"Give me back my fragment!" Vulpix demanded.

"Hand over my bag!" I was also getting into demanding things.

"Oh yeah? Well you'll just have to fight for them won't you?" Zubat said.

We then began our fight.

I decided to do the only thing I know how, punch him silly.

"Hand! It! Frickin! Over!" I accented every word with a punch.

Vulpix took on Koffing, and she did it well, she even used ember! Not a big surprise now that I look back on it.

I then surprised myself and sunk my teeth into Zubat. Instantly regretted it, his flesh tastes like crap. But he cringed, so I was able to get in another punch, and then he fainted.

Koffing fell next, from the fourth ember in a row from Vulpix.

I picked up my bag, and Vulpix took her fragment.

The two idiots then woke up.

"What the hell? How'd you whoop us?" Koffing was incredulous.

"Fine! Take your stuff back!" Zubat spat. "But remember, this was a fluke, you hear? A FLUKE!"

They "ran" off. We left the cave too, through a secret door in the last room.

* * *

><p>"Wow! thank you so much for helping me!" Vulpix was thanking me for helping her get her fragment back.<p>

"Hey, I could help you and myself at the same time. Why pass up an opportunity to help someone like that?"

"What's in that bag of yours, anyway?" Vulpix was really curious.

"Not much." I then took out my blue woolen hat and wore it over my head. "I'm still keeping this, though!"

She laughed. "You look silly with that on! Anyway, here's what they stole." She handed me her fragment. "See this, it's my very own good luck charm. It's a fragment of what's probably a relic of some sort, so I call it a relic fragment." It had an ornate design on it.

"Hm..." I thought for a moment. "This seems familiar."

"Anyway, where are you from?" Vulpix took back her fragment as she asked me this question.

"Give me a second." I thought back, but the more I thought, the more memories seemed to fade. "Shit, I can't remember."

"Well, if you can't remember, then do you want to form an exploration team with me?"

"What's that?" I asked while I was messing with the bag so that it fit on me properly.

"Well, it's a group of pokemon that goes out and looks for new stuff, like treasure and that kind of stuff. They also help pokemon in need of rescuing from dungeons!"

"Sounds, well, interesting, but I have problems of my own." I was still not used to my new body. I also kind of wanted to change back.

"What? But, if you come with me, maybe we'll be able to solve your mystery!" She seemed to be trying to talk me into it.

"Alright then, I guess I'm in." I didn't want to go through a whole argument, so I decided to skip it, and head to the end result.

"Really?" She seemed really excited. "Yay! I was just too much of a coward to do it myself, but with you, I can do anything!"

"Um, if you say so..." I was really confused.

At this point I'd woken up on a foreign beach, changed species, and signed a contract that I didn't even know what it was? Maybe I was in over my head. I do that, a lot. But, at least I had company, right? Besides it couldn't be _that_ bad.

If only I knew how screwed over that train of thought was. If only I knew.


	3. A Guild?

DISCLAIMER: I own darn near nothing, all I have to my name here are the typos.

Chapter 3: A Guild?

_Welcome to Chris's Head_

I was following my new-found friend to this "Guild" place at sundown. I decided to figure out what I was getting myself into.

"Say, what does an exploration team do, anyway?" I inquired.

"They go off, and explore places." My companion, Vulpix, returned.

"So, they scout. Anything else?"

"They also provide assistance to pokemon who're trapped in dire situations and arrest outlaws."

"So, it's like a police force?"

"What's a police force?" At my friend's response I realized that most of my references wouldn't make any sense.

"Well, the police are a group of people who go out and patrol the streets to make sure they're safe."

"How come I don't see that?"

"Because, that's what people do where I'm from. Here, you do that, team thing, don't you?"

"I guess..." She then perked up. "Oh look, we're here!"

"Well, that's different." I was rather interested by the building. Not due to size, but due to its appearance. It seemed to be in the shape of the upper half of a round pink pokemon, with torches where the eyes would traditionally be.

"Yeah, well, it's designed to look like the Guildmaster." She seemed to be ignoring the building, and paying more attention to the inconspicuous grate in front of the entrance. "Will I have the courage to stand on the grate?"

"What's wrong with the grate?" Seemed to be a lot of trouble for a drainage grate.

"It's the security system, watch." She approached the grate.

"Eh? How is it a security system?" She stepped on to the grate, with great caution, as if something was going to come out and hit her from below.

"Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected!" Called out a foreign voice.

"Yipe!" My friend seemed to be debating whether to jump off, or to stay.

"Whose footprint? What pokemon is it?" A second voice called out.

"No, I won't run, I have Chris with me," she barely whispered. How I heard that, I have no clue.

"The footprint belongs to Vulpix! The footprint is Vulpix's!" It was surprisingly accurate.

"Whew, that was scary!" She stayed on the grate for a bit longer.

"Hey! Vulpix!" The voice called out from below.

"Uh, yeah?"

"You brought a friend this time, send him over!"

She turned to face me. "I think he means you, Chris."

"Um, what do I do?" I had no clue how this security system worked, let alone make sense!

"Just get on the grate!" Called out the voice.

"Alright, stop nagging me!" I walked over to the grate.

"Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected!"

"Whose footprint? What pokemon is it?"

"The footprint belongs to..." The voice paused. "Um.."

"Whose footprint is it, Diglett?" The second voice was getting impatient.

"Um..." The voice no longer sounded nearly as confident as it did a few moments ago. "It might be Riolu's! Might be Riolu's"

"_MIGHT?_ WHAT DO YOU MEAN _MIGHT!"_ The second voice was very loud.

"I don't know what I don't know!"

Vulpix turned over to look at me. "Hey, are they arguing?"

I returned a smirk. "Yeah, it's probably a Riolu's footprint! I can't be sure myself! HA!"

"Heh..." Vulpix nervously laughed.

A third voice piped up behind the front door. It had an almost musical quality to it. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't insult our recruits."

"Um, sorry?" I blushed.

"It's true Riolu aren't a common sight around these parts, so I'll let him off easy this time. Well, you don't seem to be the bad type, so I guess you can come in. By the way, my name is Chatot."

The front doors opened up to show a bird like pokemon with what appeared to be a musical note on the top of its head.

"Well, don't just stand there! Come in!"

"Um, all right. Come on then, Chris." Vulpix called.

"Okay." I readjusted my messenger bag. I had to wear it like a backpack for it to fit properly, but at least I could carry it. "Coming."

* * *

><p>We clambered down a ladder, into the first sub-level. It seemed to be the public area. There were two notice boards in the room and another ladder down to the next sub-level. The place was deserted, as it was apparently past a reasonable hour for doing this exploration thing.<p>

Chatot turned to us. "Now, if you don't have a purpose here, you'd better be off. We have no time for silly surveys."

Vulpix quickly responded. "Oh no, we're not here for that. We're here to form an exploration team!"

"Huh? The training is so hard. Can two kids really handle it?" Chatot seemed curious.

"I'm sorry, is there something wrong, Chatot?" I asked.

"Oh no, there's nothing wrong. Come, follow me to the Guildmaster's chamber."

We walked down the spiral staircase, and found ourselves in a kind of commons room. There were pokemon down here, chatting amongst themselves. I could catch snippets, where they discussed what sounded like dungeon strategy and local gossip. When they noticed us being led in by Chatot to what was probably the Guildmaster's chamber, their conversations took on a different tone. They seemed to be discussing who we were and why we were heading to the Guildmaster's chamber. They also seemed to be discussing my hat. _Great, already attracting attention._

* * *

><p>We walked in to the chamber, and I saw what appeared to be a giant pink pillow. Chatot went up to it and spoke with it.<p>

"Guildmaster, I've brought two pokemon who wish to start an exploration team here at the Guild."

The pink mass didn't move.

"Um, Guildmaster?"

The mass of pink suddenly jumped up and wheeled around to face us with its big eyes.

"Hiya new friends! I'm Wigglytuff!"

We all jumped so high we nearly hit the ceiling of the room.

"Son of a- Darn, I've seen my share of hell, but that was shocking nonetheless." I said.

"What do you mean, 'seen your share of hell?'" Wigglytuff inquired.

"Not sure, the more I probe my past, the more it eludes me, but..." I then paused. "Sorry, my little secret, I guess."

"Well, anyway, Guildmaster, please remind our recruits of the responsibilities and restrictions of being a member of the Guild."

"Sure thing!" The Guildmaster seemed to be an easy going fellow. "Here at the Guild, you'll have lot's of fun, and you'll help lot's of pokemon! We're all friendly friends here, so don't be afraid to ask any questions!"

"Um, okay then. Whatever you say, Wigglytuff." I was surprised at how outgoing this guy was._ How did he get to be here, in a position of power?_ Seemed like the kind who would be easily manipulated. Unless, it was all a ploy. Like stalemating in chess. _In which case, he's one of the most brilliant people, err... pokemon, I've ever met._

"All right then, you want to form a team, right? All I'm going to need are your names and the team name." Wigglytuff said.

"I'm Vulpix, and this is Chris." Vulpix answered. "Hey, Chris, can you think of a good team name? I'm drawing a blank here."

"Um..." I thought for a moment, names popping into my head from my subconscious before instantly being rejected by my conscious mind. But then, I had it.

* * *

><p>"Team Checkmate. It just sounds right." It popped in, and my mind embraced it. I hadn't known why though, but it reminded me of victory.<p>

"Alright! Now let's register you as a team. YOOM-TAH!" There was a flash of light. "Right then, friends. You've now been officially registered as an exploration team!"

"Glorious." I said.

"Here's a starter pack for you two." Wigglytuff handed us a toolbox. "Open it! They're yours!"

"Okay." I flipped the latch up. In the toolbox was a map, two badges, and some other things. I dumped the contents then lined them up.

"All right then, we have assorted berries, a few suspicious seeds, two surprisingly shiny badges, a pink scarf, two pins, and a very interesting map." I frowned. "I have no idea what any of these do..."

"Here, let me explain." Vulpix came over and began picking up the berries and putting them in my messenger bag. "These berries have various effects, like healing and curing poison."

She then began dumping the seeds in my bag. "These are very exciting. Seeds like these can do all sorts of things. From inducing sleep in your enemies to breathing explosions, these are very useful." She then took the scarf and attempted to put it on. I helped. "Thanks, Chris. This is a Pecha Scarf. It'll protect the wearer from poison." I then picked up the pins.

Chatot piped up. "Those, along with these badges," he picked up the badges, "are proof of you two being in a team. You'd better keep them on you." I attached one pin to Vulpix's scarf, and the other one to my hat. I then put the badges in my bag.

"Will this do?" I asked.

"Yes, but where did you get that hat, friend? And what does it do?" Wigglytuff inquired.

"It doesn't do anything but keep your head warm when its cold, and I got it from a hatchback I, err, borrowed." I admitted.

"You stole it? And what's a hatchback?" Vulpix asked.

"Okay, first things first, it was abandoned, whoever had it was long gone. For your second question, I'll tell you later."

Wigglytuff walked over and picked up the map. "This is a wonder map, friends. It shows you places that we want you to go to, and it changes often, so check it regularly."

"Well, that sounds interesting." I also stuffed it in my bag.

* * *

><p>"Whelp, that's everything!" I said, realizing that there was nothing left.<p>

"Well then, it's past curfew, and we're about to begin dinner." Chatot said in a business-like manner. "You'd best go get some."

My stomach rumbled. "My stomach is in agreement." Vulpix and I laughed at what I just said.

We went into the dining room for dinner and met everyone who stayed at the Guild. We didn't really make any friends, but at least we learned some names.

After dinner, Chatot pulled us out of the crowd.

"Here, let me show you your rooms."

He led us down a short hallway then pointed inside the room at the very end of the hallway. "This is your room."

"Won't forget where this one is, I guess." I commented as we entered.

"Quite. This is where you'll be staying while you train here at the Guild." Chatot said.

The room was modestly sized, with two straw beds laid out on the floor. Vulpix was looking out the window.

"Cool! you can see the beach and everything from here!" Vulpix exclaimed.

"Well, that's to be expected, the Guild is built into the face of a cliff after all." Chatot snorted.

"Oh..."

"Well then, you are to stay here for the night, no nighttime snooping!" And with that he was off.

"Okay, well, I'm gonna hit the hay, Chris. I suggest you do the same, big day tomorrow." Vulpix yawned and then laid down on the bed on the right.

"Right." I sat down on my bed and began to go through my bag.

"What are you doing?"

"Going through my stuff. I forgot what's in here."

"Alright then, just do it quietly."

I began looking through it, pulling out everything I hadn't seen before.

I found a small metal box, a silver coin, a deck of cards, and something wrapped up in a rag.

"Hm...?"

I unwrapped it. It was a car mirror. I got a good look at myself in it. _No denying it now, that's definitely a Riolu staring back at me_.

I put all the stuff back in. As I did so, I found a secret compartment in the bag._What do we have here?_

I opened it, then pulled out what was inside.

"Shit!"

"What's wrong?" called over Vulpix.

"Nothing, nothing." I said back, my voice sounded strained.

"No, really, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, go back to sleep, please."

"If you say so." She laid her head back down onto the straw.

In my hands, if you could still call them that, I held a handgun. _How the hell did this get here!_ No ammo, thankfully. I breathed a sigh of relief at that. I put it gingerly back into my bag's secret compartment. _The pokemon here probably won't even know what it is, but, I should hold onto this_, I thought_, __What if someone found ammo?_ I relaxed for a bit.

I then realized how tired I was, so I took off my hat, put it on top of my bag, and went to sleep.


	4. Day One at the Guild

DISCLAIMER: I own darn near nothing, all I have to my name here are the typos.

Chapter Four: Day One at the Guild

_Welcome to Chris's Head_

Ever have a bad morning? That day, I learned that unless I woke up very early, I was in for a very rude awakening every day.

* * *

><p>I was sleeping, enjoying the blackness of slumber, but then, an obscenely loud voice interrupted the peace.<p>

"UP AND AT 'EM! IT'S MORNING!"

It definitely got everyone up.

"Oh, hell! My ears!" I swear that my eardrums were shattered by that yell.

My friend was in agreement. "Oh, I wasn't expecting that!"

The source of the sound stuck his head into the room. "WAKE UP, YOU WHELPS!" I then figured out why he could yell so loud, his mouth was his entire body. I remembered his name from dinner, Loudred.

"Jeez, I'm up, just stop the yelling!" I was still dazed from the rude awakening, and I could barely make coherent words come out of my mouth.

"I AM NOT GOING TO BE LATE BECAUSE OF YOU!"

"Wait a minute, late?" I thought back to yesterday. "Wait, I joined a Guild?"

"You honestly forgot?" I turned over to see Vulpix. "You're crazier than I thought."

"Ah, hell, just because I'm new to this doesn't mean you can be such a douche about it."

"SHUT UP AND GET TO THE MORNING ASSEMBLY!" Loudred then walked off.

"We'd better get going." Vulpix suggested.

"Yeah, give me a moment." I put on my hat and got my bag then followed her out of the room.

* * *

><p>We went down to the commons area. Everyone in the Guild was in line, and Vulpix and I got in at the end. Right next to a lobster-like pokemon I made friends with at dinner the night before.<p>

He nudged me in the arm. "Hey, hey, you're late." He whispered.

"Shut up, Corphish." I quietly snapped back.

"Good, everyone's finally here." Chatot said. "Let's get the day started. First things first, announcements. We have a new team here at the Guild, Team Checkmate, and it was founded by our newest members, Vulpix and Riolu." He gestured towards me and Vulpix.

"My name's Chris, not Riolu." I corrected.

"Oh my gosh, they're so cute!" said a pokemon who looked like a talking sunflower. I think she was called Sunflora.

"I'm not the newest member anymore!" I heard a voice call out. I couldn't find the source, though.

"Alright then, that's the announcements, now for daily cheers."

Vulpix and I stood there silently as the Guild repeated their practiced "cheers."

"One! Don't shirk work! Two! Run away and pay! And three! Smiles go for miles!"

_That doesn't seem to hard to remember._ I thought to myself.

"All right pokemon, let's get to work!" Chatot said.

"Yay!" came the enthusiastic response from the crowd.

The crowd dispersed, and I was left standing there with Vulpix, looking positively hopeless.

"Lost, you two? Follow me." Chatot called.

We followed him up the ladder into the first sub-level and saw that it was bustling with activity. He led us up to the board on the right side of the room.

"This is the jobs board. Here is where you'll find jobs for yourselves to do as an exploration team. These jobs all occur in mystery dungeons."

I didn't know what he was talking about. "Um, a mystery dungeon?"

"Oh, Chris, a mystery dungeon is a place where you go in one time, and its layout different the next time you enter." Vulpix said.

"How do you know whoever maps the place isn't just really bad at mapping?"

"Oh, um, you know that cave we went into? That was a mystery dungeon. If we went in there a second time, even though the big picture would be the same, the layout would be a bit different."

"Okay, I guess."

"Oh, and any pokemon you find there will not hesitate to attack you. They're kind of, well, wild."

"Alright, I guess I get it."

"You two seem to know quite a bit about mystery dungeons already. Well, at least one of you do." Chatot said. I don't think I was exactly his favorite member. "Anyway, there's been an influx of jobs recently, because time's been screwing up recently."

"Wait, did you say time was going wonky?" I asked. _Time screwing over? Why does that sound familiar?_

"I didn't say _that,_ I said time was getting messed up."

"That's what I- never mind."

He then turned to the board. "I'll chose out a job for you today." He scanned it for a moment. "Here's one suitable for your level." He pulled it down.

I took it from him, mildly shocking him. I read it then summarized it, feeling slightly cheated as I thought about it.

"All right, so this Spoink guy wants us to get some pearl he dropped on the seventh basement level of this Drenched Bluff place?" I thought it over. "Isn't that a little, well, beginner-ish?"

"Yes, but I can't just send you out on a hard journey just yet. This retrieval mission is just the thing for a beginner team like yourselves." Chatot said.

"What?" Vulpix blurted. "But, I thought exploration teams did cool things, like find new places and stuff like that."

"You've just joined! Besides, think about it, beginners can't exactly face a real exploration, can they?" Chatot retorted.

Vulpix looked like she was about to explode, but I went over and gently grabbed her. "Hey, its all right. As Chatot said, we're not exactly pros, are we?" I commented. "Besides, once we do this, we can move on to actual stuff, right?"

"Of course. Think of this as a test run." Chatot said.

"Great. Let's go, Vulpix." I said.

We left the Guild and saw the sun rising.

"How can you be okay with this?" Vulpix asked.

"Hey, it's just like he said. We're new. Besides," I lowered my voice to a whisper, "I have no clue what a Riolu can do."

"Oh, okay." She just stayed quiet as we walked on.

"Right, Drenched Bluff, where in the world is that?" I rummaged through my bag and pulled out the map. I scanned it, then found it. "Found it, let's go."

* * *

><p>We went to the place and found out that it was properly named.<p>

"Damn, these rocks are so slippy." I thought that at any second I could loose my footing.

"Yeah, let's take this slowly, I don't want to- waaaaaah!" came Vulpix's reply.

"Huh?" I turned around and saw she had slipped. "Whoa!" She then hit me and we barreled down into the cave.

"Shit! Give a little warning when you decide to go crazy!" I yelled at her. I was sore all over from falling down the passageway, and wasn't about to take it lightly.

"I'm sorry." She sorrowfully said, she was just as hurt.

"Hey, it's okay," I said softly, "just don't ever do that again." I ended forcefully.

We walked down through the cave, and went down two "floors" as they were called, before either of us spoke again.

"Say, where are these fabled enemies I keep hearing about?" I asked. "We haven't seen another soul for like, an hour."

"I dunno, just keep walking." She then thought to herself for a moment. "Say, you're a Riolu, right?"

"That's what everyone says." I responded. Why did she ask this?

"Can't they do that, aura thing?" She asked.

I stopped. "I guess, but as I said, I have no clue how to do that."

She stopped too. "You could try instinct, I mean, that's how I learned ember."

"All right." I decided to concentrate for a bit. "Nothing."

"Oh well, let's try again later."

We walked a bit longer, then we met our first spot of resistance on the fifth sub-level. Two Kabuto poised to fight.

"Alright, time to see what I can do." I got into a fighting stance.

I let the one on the left go first, but I dodged and brought my fist onto him with massive force. One hit KO.

"Whew, that was exhilarating!" I looked to my left and saw that the other Kabuto was lying in a burnt heap next to my ally.

"I had fun too, come on, let's keep moving." Vulpix said.

I readjusted my bag, and followed.

We got to the last floor, and saw something in a corner. I picked it up.

"Who's willing to bet that this is the pearl?"

* * *

><p>When we got back to the Guild, we met up with this Spoink character.<p>

"Oh, thank you for retrieving my pearl! I had no idea what I'd have done without it!" He was thanking us profusely as he put the pearl on his head.

"Gee, thanks." Vulpix said.

"Anyway, here's your payment." He deposited a large pile of golden coins into my hands.

My partner's eyes lit up. "Whoa, that's a lot of cash!" She turned to face Spoink. "Are you sure?"

"Of course, this money pales in comparison to my pearl's actual worth!" And with that he was off.

"Wow! Chris, we're rich!" I smirked at that.

Chatot stepped in. "Now, if you'll hand that over."

"Huh?"

"Oh don't worry, you'll get your share." He then split the money into two very uneven piles. He handed us the smaller stack. "Here you are."

"Only 300 out of 3000?" Vulpix yelled. "That's only a tenth of what we got!"

"Worse then Sweden." I involuntarily commented. That got me a few weird looks.

"What is Sweden?" Chatot said.

"Good question." I replied.

There was an awkward silence. "Did I ever mention that you're actually really strange?" Chatot said to me.

"I'm surprised you didn't bring it up until now." I replied. I took the cash and put it in my bag. "Well, I'm feeling a little confused on what to do next."

"You have around an hour until curfew and dinner isn't due for another thirty minutes, so, you can do whatever you want for now." Chatot said. "Why don't you go and talk to some of the others.

"Alright." I said.

Vulpix then pulled me aside for the second time today.

"Alright_, how _can you take this so easy?" She asked forcefully_  
><em>

"Hell, I don't know. May as well get used to it. Why can't I at least feign happiness?" I responded.

"Ugh, you're really crazy, you know that, right?" she complained.

I smiled. "That's how I roll, hon, and I don't plan on changing it." I said with a southern accent.

She just gave me a look. "Okay, and don't _ever_ plan on speaking to me like _that _ever again."

"Got it."

* * *

><p>We socialized with the other Guild members and made some friends. I got a surprisingly large number of questions about my hat. Although, there was one question that caught me off guard.<p>

"Where are you from, Chris?"

"Uh, well, I-"

"Dinner's ready!" called the chef, a bell pokemon named Chimeco. _Saved by the bell, _I thought to myself.

* * *

><p>After dinner everyone headed to their respective rooms. As I was settling in for the night, Vulpix asked me a question from before.<p>

"Can you remember where you're from?"

"No." I automatically responded. I then searched through my bag and pulled out the coin from before. "Why'd I take this out?" I thought out loud.

"Wow, what's that?" Vulpix asked.

"A coin, what else?"

"But, I thought that coins were all gold." Apparently, the only kink of currency was that poke stuff.

"Back home," I began. "Wait a minute, "back home?" I flipped over the coin and read it. "United States of America"

I turned to Vulpix. "That's where I'm from, the USA."

"Where's that?"

"Tell you tomorrow."

"Oh, okay, I guess."

I took off my hat, placed it on my bag, and drifted to the darkness of sleep.


	5. Visions of a Station

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the intellectual property of other people or parties.

Chapter 5: Visions of a Station

Welcome to Chris's Head

That night, as I slept, I had a vision of what was probably my past, but something about it, although familiar, was very off.

* * *

><p>Welcome to Vulpix's Head<p>

I didn't have my usual dreams that night. Something was strange about them, I wasn't me in the dream. It was as if I were living out someone else's memories.

In my dream, I was shocked to find I was a human. I was standing on two legs in a building, clutching a bag to my chest with my two arms. I looked around for a bit, and saw the bustle of the place. I then examined myself more closely. Instead of my usual four-legged stance, I was standing on two legs. I also noticed I was around twenty, that was an adult. I then saw a clock, noting the time was noon, which was odd, as it was dark outside. Something in the back of my head told me I was in a "train station" and that I needed to get to "platform seven."

I then noticed a boy sitting on a bench to my left. He seemed to be around twelve, wore a jacket and jeans, and carried a backpack that looked almost empty. He was muttering to himself, something about "third relocation in a row" and "platform seven." I decided to go over and ask him a question.

"Um, excuse me." I said to him.

He looked up, "Are you talking to me, Miss?" His voice was vaguely familiar.

"Do you know how to get to platform seven?"

"Oh, I'm heading there right now. You could follow me, if you want." He stood up, and rushed off into the crowd.

"Hey, wait up a minute!" I followed him closely.

We went through the crowd and appeared at the platform, next to a great machine of metal. My mind told me it was called a "train."

"Say, what's your name?" He asked me.

"Oh, it's-" I paused. The voice in the back of my head said not to tell him my name.

He spoke up again. "I'm Chris if you're worried about telling me your name." _That name..._

The voice then gave me the name of my current form. "I'm Valerie."

"Oh, well, hi, Valerie." He turned to the train. "We need to get on the train now, or the station master will get all cross."

"Lead on." I offered.

I followed him onto the train to find myself in a hallway. He walked into a room, and I entered with him. It was a two-person "compartment" (that voice again) and he was apparently hoping on staying alone.

"Oh, so you're following me, eh? Well, I guess you're better than the drunk I had to share a compartment with last time." He cringed.

"That bad, huh?"

"Valerie, you don't know the half of it." He looked out the window. "Say, what brings you onto this line anyway? Before you ask, I'm being relocated to Topeka, and just when I was getting used to Richmond too."

"I'm heading to Topeka too, Chris."

"You seem old enough that you could've been doing something when it happened." He said.

"When what happened?"

"You know, the end of the world? The end of time? The sun ceasing to rise over America? What, have you lived under a rock for the last six years?" He then turned his head. "Uh, sorry, ma'am."

"Something happened to you when it happened, right?" I asked.

He turned and look at me with deep, brown, trembling eyes, and said, "My parents were killed during the rioting after it happened. I was only six." He then almost began to cry.

I walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, I think we all lost something when it happened."

"Yeah, thanks, Valerie."

We stowed our bags and went to opposite sides of the compartment and made small talk.

"So, how old are you, Chris?"

"Twelve, turning thirteen next month."

"Interesting. You said something about being relocated."

"I did?"

"Sorry, I was listening to you mutter as I walked up. What's relocation?"

His eyes took on a darker tone. "Relocation is when you're taken out of your home and placed in a different city. It's apparently to fix the overcrowding problem." He then looked at me. "Why? Aren't you being relocated too?"

"No, I'm just heading to Topeka."

Then, time fast-forwarded to a different point.

* * *

><p>Welcome to Chris's Head<p>

I spoke with the woman in my dream again. "Valerie, I almost forgot to ask you, why are you heading to Topeka?"

She looked out the window, as if wanting to watch the countryside fly by. It was dark out, as always, so there wasn't much to see. "I'd rather not say." She then asked me a question. "Why is it always dark out?"

The answer was about to reveal itself, as answers did in this dream so far, but that memory failed to unfold, as we were cut off by an intercom message. It was the conductor.

"Uh, passengers, we're going to be having some..." he gulped. "...delays, please remain in your compartments until further notice."

"Oh no." I involuntarily uttered.

"What?" She asked.

"You're new to this, aren't you?" I said. _Where were these words coming from?_ "This isn't routine. The train's been running perfectly, and nothing's gone wrong yet. In all likelihood, its bandits."

"Oh dear."

"Just stay quiet. Maybe they'll think our compartment is empty."

We remained quiet. Suddenly, noises could be heard from the corridor.

"Alright boys, we're looking for that kid from before." Came some voices.

"Shit!" I exclaimed. _I'm running on automatic again._ I got my bag and went up to the door.

"What is it?" Valerie asked.

"I hope I'm wrong, but those guys are most likely here for me."

"What!"

Then our door opened. In it stood a thug who was for some reason very familiar.

"Found you at last!" He made a move for me, but I was already out the door.

"Hey! Come back here!" the thug yelled, but he made no attempt at chasing me. I was then hit with what felt like dozens of claws digging into my sides, and passed out from the pain.

* * *

><p>At that point I woke up in a sweat.<p>

Back in the Guild. It was the middle of the night. As I awoke, I noticed that Vulpix was still asleep.

"What was that?" I thought out loud.

She then stirred and looked over at me.

"What was what?" Vulpix drowsily asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"No, I was just waking up."

"In the middle of the night?"

"I had a very strange dream, and, well, it ended badly."

"You too?"

She blinked a bit, and shook her head.

"What did you dream about?" She asked.

"It's a long story. Let's go back to sleep."

"Okay."

We both plopped down onto our beds and drifted back to the land of dreams.


	6. The Scream

Disclaimer: INSERT DISCLAIMER HERE

Chapter 6: The Scream

Darkness. _Maybe this morning might begin well._

"UP AND AT 'EM IT'S MORNING!"

_Scratch that thought._

"Oh, still not used to it." My ears rang as I stood up.

"Can anyone ever get used to it?" My partner stood up as well.

"Better not be late this time." I said.

"Well, let's go!"

I put on my hat, and she put on her scarf. We walked out to the commons room. We said our cheers, and Chatot, once again picked us out of the crowd.

"Alright you two, I'm going to show you two another special beginner assignment."

"Grand." I said sarcstically.

Instead of taking us to the job board on the left, he took us to the right. There were many pictures of pokemon hanging on it. Under each one was a ranking and a cash amount.

"Wow, who are these guys, famous explorers or something?" asked Vulpix.

"Nah, I don't think so, these look more like mug shots than hall of famer pictures." I pointed at the picture closest to me, a picture of an Ursaring. "See under the picture, this sum of cash?" I shook my head. "This dude has a price on his head."

"What?" She shrilly yelled.

"Yes, these pokemon are indeed outlaws." Chatot said. "On this board you can choose a target to bring in to justice."

"So we get to play bounty hunter with bank robbers?" I asked.

"Oh no, I wouldn't dream of allowing a rookie team to attempt such a dangerous mission, on this board, you have the full spectrum of baddies, from pickpockets to black-hearted evil scum." He shivered a slight bit. "Anyway, I'm going to have someone show you around town."

He called over a recruit named Bidoof.

"Bidoof, could you show these recruits around Treasure Town? And then help them decide on an outlaw."

"Yup! Yup! I'll do my best! Yup! Yup!" he responded.

We walked out of the Guild. and into a plaza.

Bidoof began speaking about himself. "Golly, this is great! I ued to be the newest member until you to showed up." He then began to cry. Very excitable this guy. "I'm finally senior to someone."

"So-o-o-o..., Treasure Town, what's that?" I asked trying to break the ice, and Bidoof's current path.

"What! You don't know the area you live in?" Vulpix said. "Your memory loss must be worse than I thought."

Bidoof joined in. "Memory loss? Golly, that sounds serious."

"Umm, hey, shouldn't you be filling me in on Treasure Town?"

"Yup! Yup! Anyway, this is the main plaza, where the pokemon from Treasure Town usually gather."

"Oh! I can tell you about the plaza, Chris!" Vulpix pointed at a stall surrounded by piles of golden coins and manned by a Duskull. "This is Duskull Bank. We can store our money here so that we won't lose it all in a dungeon."

Looking at the shadiness of the place, I felt slight unease. "I dunno, does he do loans?"

"Loans? What're those?" Vulpix asked.

"He doesn't? Okay, I trust him." I reasoned.

"Hm. You're very strange." Duskull said to me from across his counter. "Care to make a deposit?"

I declined.

"Over there is Keckleon Market, where you can buy and sell stuff." Bidoof pointed over at a stall manned by two Kecleon, one purple, the other green. "Further out is Kangashkan Storage, where you can put stuff for safe-keeping. I'm going to head back to the Guild, meet me there."

He bounded off in the direction of the Guild. Vulpix led me over to Kecleon Market.

"Oh, hello Vulpix." greeted the green one.

"Who's your friend?" asked the purple one, who was apparently sizing me up. For convenience, I'll call the brothers Green and Purple.

"Hi, I'm Chris. I'm new to town." I said.

"Odd name, that." said Green.

"Anyway, do you have anything on sale today?" asked Vulpix

"Just a moment, Vulpix, let me check." Purple turned around and was about to start looking through some stuff when two other customers came. One Marill and his youger brother Azurill bounced, literally in the latter's part, up to the stall.

"Hello Misters Kecleons!" literally sung Azulrill.

"Why hello my young friends, what can I get for you two today?" greeted Green.

"May we get some apples please?" asked Marill.

"Certainly." Green pulled up a bag, presumably with apples in it, and handed it to Marill. "That'll be 50 poke." They handed over the cash and went off.

"What a nice pair of brothers." said Green, "Their mother is sick right now, so theyv'e been doing errands for her recently."

"Hm. That's a shame." I said. Before I could say something else, the two siblings were back.

"Oh? Back so soon? Was something wrong?" asked Green.

"Nothing really, its just that you gave us one too many apples." said Marill.

"Yeah, we didn't pay for this many." chimed in Azurill.

"Oh, I did that on purpose, as a gift for your mother." Green said, smiling.

"Really, oh thank you!" said Azurill. He got so happy that he started bouncing and one of the apples in the bag went flying.

I reached out and caught it before it touched the ground. "And he's outta here!" I involuntarily blurted. Everyone gave me an odd look. "Sorry, I have no idea where that came from. Anyway, here's your apple back." I handed it to Azurill, momentarily touching him.

"Thanks!" He responded.

I suddenly felt really dizzy, as if I got up too fast from a laying-down position. Colors were flashing in front of my vision. _Funny, I don't remember drinking anything._ Suddenly, everything began to fade rapidly to black, and I grabbed the counter to steady myself, my other hand reaching up to my head to steady it. Suddenly, a white streak cut across my vision, now a void, and I heard one word, yelled in a shrill voice. One word that filled my entire being and reverberated in my soul.

"H-HEEEEEELLLLP!"

I quickly returned to the world of the waking. With Azurill staring at me, looking slightly concerned.

I was still fazed from what had just happened and looked around for the source of the scream.

"Um, did anyone hear a scream?"

"A scream?" Everyone said in unison.

"Um, no, can't say I did." said Purple.

"Neither can I, maybe you're hearing things?" suggested Green.

"Come on, Azurill, we need to get going, are you okay?" said Marill.

"Yup! Let's go look for our item!" he happily said. He then ran off to catch up with his older brother. _His voice!_

"I swear, I just heard him yell for help just a second ago." I said.

"Are you going insane?" asked Vulpix.

"Hope not." I answered. "Hey, can I get a couple of apples, please?" I bought the supplies, thanked them, and then walked off. Vulpix following behind as I stuffed them into my bag.

"Hey, we should go to Kangashkan Storage." she suggested.

We stored some of our stuff with the very friendly Mrs. Kangashkan. "Of course I'll keep your items safe for you my dears." Her baby cooed. "Later my sweet, I'm with customers right now." She stored our stuff in the back and asked if there was anything else while keeping inventory on a pad. "Care to store anything else?"

"Actually," I reached into my bag and plopped three items on to the counter. "Could you store these too?"

Both Mrs. Kangashkan and Vulpix stared at them intently. "What are they?"

On the counter lay the mirror, still wrapped in it's rag, that metal box, and the gun. That just proved that no one knew what it was, a relief. "Well, in that rag's a mirror, um, that black thing in the middle's called a gun, and this is, um..." I flipped it open. "OH! That's what it is!" It was a Zippo lighter. I quickly closed it and put it back in my bag. "Sorry, this one's my little secret."

"What's a gun?" Vulpix asked.

"Something extremely dangerous if you have what works it. Fortunately, seeing as I have no bullets and its magazine is empty, we have nothing to worry about."

Blank stares all around.

"Sorry, did I just have a small rant there? Anyway, could you please keep these two items in storage for me please, Mrs. Kangashkan?"

"Certainly sweetie." She went back, and when she came back, we said our goodbyes and left.

"Let's go back to the Guild, we have nothing else left to do." We started back when the brothers from earlier passed by, talking with a Drowzee.

"Of course I'll help you look for your item." Drowzee said. "To ignore the plight of a child would be heartless!" He stopped to talk with us when he came near. "These two kids are the most courteous pair I ever found, all their thank-you's and please's I simply can't ignore them." He turned back and called out to Azurill and Marill. "Come on, let's go." As they went off, Drowzee accidentally knocked me over. "Oh dear, so sorry." he said as he helped me up.

As Vulpix began to say something, it happened again. _Aw crap._ _What the hell is this!_ I felt very dizzy, the colors flashed by again, and everything became black. Reminded me of a word: "alcohol." This time, as I heard the voices, an image slowly came into focus. All I could make out in the beginning were two blurred shapes in what appeared to be mountains.

"Look kid, if you're going to be difficult, then it's going to mean trouble for you." When he finished he came into focus, revealing him to be Drowzee.

As everything cleared up, Azurill yelled "H-h-HEELLLP!" I saw mountains as my view was rapidly pulled away. I was back in the present again, and Vulpix was speaking, ignorant of my experience.

"It's nice to see that there's still nice pokemon in the world, like Drowzee."

"Urgh." I said, suddenly feeling very sick about the irony of that statement.

"Something the matter, Chris?"

I recounted what I saw.

"What! You feel dizzy then you see Drowzee threatening Azurill?" Vulpix was incredulous.

"We need to follow him, Azurill might be-"

"-perfectly fine." she assured. "Don't worry, you were probably daydreaming."

"But it was so vivid!"

"You're probably just tired."

"But-"

"Let's go back to Bidoof before he begins to worry." she interrupted.

She almost dragged me to the Guild. This surprised me, she struck me as the timid kind. Probably just a little angry at me for being so distrustful of Drowzee. He did seem like a nice guy, but, was that anything to go on?

"What took you two so long?" Bidoof asked when we finally met him in front of the outlaw board.

"Oh, nothing serious." I quickly put in. "Just making some friends."

Bidoof responded, "That's great! Yup! Yup! Now, let's choose you an-"

He was cut off by an authoritative announcement. "STAND CLEAR! UPDATING LISTINGS!" The outlaw board in front of me then began to shake, and quickly flipped around on a hinge.

"Ah!" yelped Vulpix.

Bidoof simply shrugged. "That's Dugtrio who does that, he takes great pride in his job even if noone really notices him. It's very important to get the new jobs in and the old ones out, yup!"

"Why do I always think I'm at an auction with you around?" I said to no one in particular.

Thankfully, before an extremely awkward moment could follow, the voice from before came up again. "UPDATE COMPLETED! STAND CLEAR!" The outlaw board flipped back, with a fresh set of posters pinned up.

"Wish I got news like that on Half Life 3." I involuntarily quipped. "Sorry, just, I say random things. Uh, Bidoof, continue please.

"Now, let's pick you a bad guy, don't worry, I won't pick one too scary." Bidoof said. "Wait, Vulpix, why are you shaking like that? It's not cold."

"What's wrong?" I asked. I followed her eyes to the lower right corner of the board. Sitting there was a poster that had been recently moved from the top. On it was a mug shot of Drowzee, wanted for grand theft. "Oh no." I ripped the poster off, just to make sure, then called to Vulpix, "Let's move!" We both ran out of the Guild at full tilt, leaving Bidoof in the dust, confused as to what we were so excited about.

As I ran, I discovered something interesting. I had some mad endurance. I had been sprinting for around five minutes, and wasn't even winded. My memories were fuzzy, but I knew that I wasn't able to do that.

We found Marill around a ten minute's walk outside of Treasure Town, looking completely and utterly hopeless.

"Hey! Marill!" I called out as I ran up to him. "What happened, mate?"

"I don't know, Azurill and I were with Drowzee, then-" he seemed to be in a state of slight shock.

"Where's your little brother?"

"I don't know, he disappeared with Drowzee, and-" he paused again.

"Where did you last see them?"

"We were all together, but then they were gone."

"Take me to where you all went."

"This way."

He led us to the foot of Mt. Bristle. "So, this is where you went?"

"Yeah, they were heading this way when I lost sight of them."

"Hm. While we're in there, can you tell the authorities that we're apprehending Drowzee in Mt. Bristle?" I asked.

Marrill agreed and Vulpix lead the way into the mystery dungeon.

In there, we met some fighting types. I learned the important lesson of not head-butting when in hand-to-hand combat with a rock type. Vulpix was literally ROFLing after she dispatched the enemy. My hat took some of the impact, but it still hurt like hell when I hit that Geodude head on.

Nine floors of dungeon crawling later, we entered the final chamber just as Drowzee was acting out what I saw in my vision.

"-it's going to mean trouble for you." he finished.

"H-he-HEEEELLLP!" Azurill screamed

I walked in, and just couldn't resist doing something crazy. "Oh hi, sorry for intruding, but do either of you have, like, a knife?"

Vulpix followed quickly behind me and gave me a stern stare. "Are you freaking insane?"

"What? I just wanted apple slices." I then acted out thinking, then said, "Oh, right!"

I turned to Drowzee. "Hey! You! The big mean guy! Yes, you!"

"Wait, aren't you two from the town plaza?" he thought out loud.

"You're under arrest you big bully! We're Team Checkmate, and we're here to put a stop to your crimes!" yelled Vulpix.

"I would be worried, if it weren't so obvious you two are rank ametuers!" he had a heavy laugh at that. "You, Vulpix, you're shaking like there's no tomorrow!" It was true. Vulpix was scared to the point of shaking uncontrollably. "Ha! If you want to arrest me, then you're going to have to fight me!"

"Challenge accepted." I nudged my partner, and we began to attempt to beat up Drowzee. She repeatedly tried to burn him to a crisp while I kept on landing punches and using the occasional bite. A staple of every diet, heh. It really worked wonders. I came close to fainting after a brutal confusion, he finally succumbed to his burns after Vulpix finally hit him with an ember.

"Wow! You guys were awesome!" Azurill said as he bounced up and down on his tail.

"So, you're alright then?" I asked.

"Yup!"

We dragged Drowzee down to where we entered when we met up with the authorites and, of course, Marill.

"Marill!"

"Azurill!" They had a nice little reunion, amazed that both of them were alright.

"BZTT. THANKS FOR APREHENDING THE OUTLAW." said the ringleader, a Magnezone. The other two, Magnemite, surrounded Drowzee in an almost protective fashion when he awoke.

"YOUR REWARD WILL BE SENT TO YOUR GUILD. BZTT." And with that they were off.

"Wow, thanks again, Team Checkmate." Marill said. "We'll never forget what you did for us."

"Yeah!" said Azurill.

"It wasn't that much, now was it?" I said. "All in a day's work, right?"

"No really, thank you!"

* * *

><p>When we got back to the Guild, we got our share of the bounty, 300 poke.<p>

"Oh yeah, this is some serious cash here." I said sarcastically. "Costs an arm and a leg and you'll be buried in student loans for the rest of your foreseeable future." I shoved it into my bag then pulled out my other coin. "Wait a minute, no, that's college." Man, I love ranting. I sat down and spun it on the floor.

"What did you just- What are you doing?" asked Vulpix and Chatot in unison.

"Spinning a buck to see what happens." I replied, garnering a couple of strange looks.

The coin settled and landed on heads. "Heads, forgot if that meant something." I picked up the coin and shoved it back in to my bag. "Any questions?"

Speechless.

"Alright then, I'm gonna head downstairs to the commons room." I walked over to the stairs leading down and vaulted down to the floor below. Vulix quickly followed, giving me a "WTF was that you crazy person" look. "What?"

"Why'd you do that?"

"It was worth a little embarrassment to confuse Chatot completely."

"Oh. Anyway, it's really great that we rescued Azurill, and it's all thanks to that crazy dream you had!"

I was surprised as it dawned upon me. "Yeah, I guess it was." _Wait a minute, I saw the future!__ How is that even, possible? Then again, should I really be surprised after what happened to me?_

We both then heard a slight rumbling sound emanate from our stomachs. "Bugger. I guess we forgot to eat lunch, oops!" Cost me 50 poke too.

"Ha ha! Let's get some dinner, Chris!"

After dinner, we got to our rooms for a stormy night. The lighting flashed and the thunder boomed.

"Wow, that lighting's intense!" Vulpix suddenly yelled.

"Heh, I wanna see." I went up to the window and saw an amazing arc go from cloud to cloud. "Now ain't that something."

"Yeah, oh! That reminds me. The night before we met, Chris, it was stormy, just like this."

"Really?"

"Yeah, so, do you remember anything about waking up out cold on the beach? Anything at all?"

"No, most of what I can remember are like fragments. Fragments of a shattered windshield strewn about the road, about to become dust in the wind."

"What the heck did you just say?" Vulpix said while laughing.

"No clue, come on, let's get some sleep." I chuckled. I took off my hat and plopped down onto my bed. Instantly regretted it. "Ouch." I muttered.

"Sorry?"

"Nothing, Nothing."

* * *

><p>"Hey, Chris, you still awake?"<p>

I grunted to signify that fact.

"I've been thinking, that dream of yours, maybe it has something to do with you, personally."

"Hmm?" I softly responded.

"I don't know why, exactly, but I don't know any other Riolu who dream of the future, and certainly none who claim to be former humans!"

"Heh."

"Anyway, I can't shake the feeling that those two events are somehow connected."

Perhaps that was the key to repairing my memory, those flash-forwards?

"I didn't know you, as a human, but, you were probably a good person. That's what you strike me as now."

"Hm, yeah."

"You know, time is slowly being messed up, all over the world."

_Oh_,_ those bad pokemon, they showed up because of time distortion, right?_

"No one's quite sure why, but everyone's saying it's the Time Gears."

"Huh?"

"The Time Gears are these legendary objects that apparently control and regulate time in certain regions. They say that they're in secret locations, like in underground lakes, deep in a forest, and I've even hard of one being in a volcano!"

"That's some serious stuff there."

"Yeah, I have no clue what would happen if a Time Gear were to go missing, but, time would probably stop flowing in that region. Which is why everyone swears to never disturb a Time Gear, lest a terrible disaster occur. Even the most hardened criminals swear to never disturb a Time gear for this very reason."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in another place, somewhere deep in a forest.<p>

A figure was running at breakneck speeds along a path. The leaf on his head was streaked with rain, and lightning crashed nearby. As he approached a large pedestal with an ornate gear resting on top, he slowed to a walk.

"Do my eyes deceive me? Could it be?" He did a double take, just to make sure. "Yes, it is! A Time Gear! I finally found one! But, this is only the first of many."

He reached up, and grabbed the Gear from it's pedestal and ran like the wind, as behind him, raindrops froze in place, and an eerie silence spread across the region.


	7. Dreamscapes

Disclaimer: The answers to "What do I own?" and "What is war good for?" are the same. Absolutely nothing.

Chapter Seven: Dreamscapes

Chris's POV

I was having another dream, that might have been a memory falling through the cracks. I was walking, down a long, wide, concrete road, probably to get somewhere. There was someone next to me, but no matter how much I willed myself to look there, my head wouldn't budge from it's position, fixated on the sky, devoid of all detail, and completely black. Why was the sky completely void, even at night, there's the moon, and always stars, right? And, why would someone travel at night? That's when you stop to rest, unless you're in a desert of course, but, there was grass on the side of the road. I kept walking, with my traveling companion always there. My mouth then began to speak words for me.

"Yeah, so, I guess you're gonna follow me, then."

Silence.

"Look, I know you found me beat up on the side the road, mate, but its not like I'm gonna right up and die on you, is it?"

More eerie silence, even at night there was some sound. Why was it so quiet?

"There's just no shaking you, is there?"

Then, I heard a response, it was speech, but it was garbled, as if this memory had been tampered with.

"Look, I don't think I'm gonna be able to understand you, mate. I mean, I'm a human, and you're a pokemon." Ah, it could be the remembering itself too.

More garbled audio.

"Listen, I know you can understand me, and you seem to a smart one, so I'll tell you where I'm heading." Finally, some answers. "I was on a train to Topeka before you and I met in there, yes, I remember you were there. Anyway, the guy who captured me told me he was instructed to kill me and dispose of the body. He knocked me out, then I woke up to see you standing over me. Which reminds me, how did you get out?" I finally turned to face my companion, but either due to the darkness or another reason, I couldn't get a fix on who he was.

"Oh yeah right, I wouldn't be able to understand if I tried. Anyway, the official reason I was heading to Topeka was relocation, but, it was actually so I could work under this professor guy. Apparently he knows something that explained why time stopped and how it could be fixed." Time stopped? "I know, sounds too good to be true. But, he's one smart cookie. Not to mention after I got the letter saying I was to be relocated for this very reason, those guys started chasing after me." I started walking again. "Anyway, I may be thirteen, but I apparently have a very rare gift that would be very useful for repairing what happened. The human population in America is down to like, five hundred thousand, from close to three hundred million!" Holy shit, something huge must've happened. "Everyone else is either dead, or turned into brain-dead zombies by that dark plague stuff. Even stranger, is that you pokemon showed up shortly before time stopped. According to the Professor, that definitely isn't a coincidence. Anyway, we're walking along an interstate highway, so it shouldn't be too long until we find a map." We continued walking, and I had the sensation of time passing, as my dream fast forwarded.

* * *

><p>I was in some kind of building, and the words "Rest stop" came to mind. I was standing in front of a map.<p>

"Okay, we're about twenty miles outside of Topeka, in somewhere called Wabanusee County. Let's see..." I pointed at a small town on the map called Paxico. "That's where the professor's lab is. It was built shortly after it happened, and built there because it's close to a highway, and because it was small enough that it wouldn't really ever be noticed. Let's see, we're about two miles off. Should take around forty minutes to get there if we take our time. But first things first." I turned to my traveling companion. "Let's see if there's any food in here, I'm starving, and you don't look much better, mate."

I began to look through the building for stuff and found a large, old flashlight. I took it and flipped it on, thankful that it still had batteries. I then came across a bunch vending machines. In them were chips, candy bars, pretzels, and an assortment of soft drinks and bottled water. "Oh that's brilliant, but how am I gonna..." I suddenly realized that these vending machines were missing their caging, which surprised me. How did I know they had caging? But I then looked at my heavy flashlight. "Smashy smashy." I demolished the glass on the vending machine and when my companion came over, "Wait a minute mate, there's glass all over the floor, I'll just throw you all the food." Oh yes.

We ate our fill and washed it down with old water bottles. "I'm surprised this hasn't all gone off yet, but, I guess that's a side effect of time stopping." We took a couple of bottles, and then we moved to the parking lot. "Hang on a minute, mate, I have an idea." I ran back inside and went to the maintenance room, and found it unlocked. I took a screwdriver, a rag, and some wire cutters. I ran back out, my new friend all the time staring at me like I was crazy. I found a compact car and bashed the window in. I reached in and opened the door then wiped away all the glass with my rag. I unlocked the doors and opened the passenger door. "Get in." My companion got in, and closed the door behind him. "Alright, an old mate of mine showed me this once, I'm hoping I get it right."

I unscrewed the the panels on the steering column and removed them. I handed them off to my companion "Here, hold these." He took them and placed them in the seat behind him, perplexed. I then found the ignition cables and cut the red wires. I stripped them and twisted them together with the rag. The electronics turned on. "We are in business." I then found the brown wire and did the same, but then I simply touched it to the red ones. I waited about one second for the engine to turn over then pulled it away. "And that, my friend, is how to hot-wire a car." I put the car into gear and drove off, my friend simply staring at me in disbelief.

* * *

><p>The scene changed again to me standing in front of a door, pounding on it. My companion was at my side.<p>

"Professor? You in there?"

No response.

"Professor?"

Silence.

"You know what, I'm coming in."

I opened the door.

"Holy shit!"

In the lab, equipment was overturned, papers were littering the floor, and the professor was standing in the corner, cradling his head. I ran in and went up to the professor, an old man with flowing white hair, my companion simply staying at the door.

"Hey! Professor!"

"Hmm?" He looked up at me with eyes that seemed distant.

"Are you alright? What happened here?"

"I'm fine. Those bastards came in and nearly destroyed the lab, and I just got news that the student being sent over was captured or something, probably dead." He shook his head. "The situation's looking grim, son. Anyway, why are you here?"

"I'm that student you mentioned." I responded.

"Really? You made it, that's great news! Well, let's see if you actually have the gift." He turned around and began to sift through the rubbish as if looking for something.

"Um, the gift?"

"You'll see. Oh, you can come in too, (garbled)" Huh? I guess whoever made me forget this definitely didn't want me knowing my friend. He pulled out a small box, labeled "incandescent bulbs." At that point I began to feel a little dizzy. "Ah, here it is!"

"Some light bulbs, professor?" I had a feeling it wasn't light bulbs.

"Oh no, this isn't a box of light bulbs, son." He opened the box and pulled out an ornate gear, about four inches across. It looked as if it wouldn't run anything, but as I saw it, I began to see some colors flashing in front of my vision. I shook my head in an attempt to clear it.

"What the heck is that, professor?"

"Well, before I tell you, I want you to take it."

"Okay, whatever you say..." He dropped the gear into my hand. Suddenly, I felt really dizzy and the colors were flashing by at an incredible rate. Suddenly, everything went to black and a white line drove itself across my vision. Suddenly, A white flash consumed my entire field of vision and I saw a blurry scene come into focus.

There was a pedestal, and on it was an ornate gear, the very same one I held in my hand. In front of it were two pokemon, one significantly larger than the other. They both began to speak, but, even though I couldn't understand them in real life, in this vision, it was as if there was some universal translator or something, and I understood everything.

"So, you want me to guard the time gear, Dialga?"

"Yes, you know what would happen if it were to be removed from here, don't you?" The rest came into focus, the scene showed the gear at the edge of a lake.

"Oh, I know. So, when someone actually finds this place?"

"Oh, that probably will never happen, but when that happens, I want you to do what you do best."

"Wipe their memories?"

"Yes, make sure that the secret of Fogbound Lake never makes it out of here, Uxie."

"Yes sir."

The scene quickly faded and I was back in the lab, the professor staring at me intently.

"Alright, professor, I have two questions. Number one, what the hell just happened, and, how'd you get your hands on a time gear?"

"Ah, you see, this is just a cheap imitation of a time gear, it merely was cut from the same temporal stone. And what you just experienced is a very rare gift, known to exist in only a few humans and pokemon."

"A rare gift?"

"Yes. To experience it's full potential and see complete scenes, however, it's necessary to have a trusted companion."

"Um, I did see a complete scene."

"Really, then you must really trust your friend there."

"Oh, yeah I guess so. Heh. Anyway, what's it called, that gift?" The dream then began to fade._ No, not yet! I still have so many questions._

_"_Yes, it's called the-" Then the dream completely faded, the last thing to go being the gear I held in my hand.

I slowly drifted awake in the Guild, and it was still the middle of the night. I mulled over what the dream was about. _And the dream within the dream, what was that? Fogbound Lake?_ "A dream within a dream... Why is that so funny?" I muttered to myself. "Why is it all so confusing?" the dreams weren't exactly abstract, but that didn't make them any less, well, confusing.

I decided I'd go back to sleep, wanted to get as much in before the resident alarm clock ruined it.


	8. Holding the Fort

Disclaimer: Do I claim ownership to anything? No.

Chapter Eight: Holding the Fort

The days following my initiation at the Guild kind of began to blur together as a routine became eminent. Vulpix and I would wake up every morning to my personal alarm clock, "enjoy" some cheers, get some jobs, check the beach for bottles, and maybe any lost memories, then do those jobs. After that was done, we'd return to base, have some dinner, and get to bed. Wasn't that bad of a lifestyle.

Every night I would have dreams that were probably lost memories of my former, human, life, but they were always as routine as my days. In them I'd always wake up to see either the Professor or my mysterious companion goading me out of bed. I'd wander around aimlessly until the professor got bored and decided to experiment more with my ability. My companion always close by, making sure he didn't try anything funny. The dreams were a bit dull, but, the lab had such interesting stuff, that it didn't matter.

After about a week of this, after cheers, Vulpix and I were pulled out of the crowd by the alarm clock.

"HEY! YOU TWO! WE NEED YOUR HELP TODAY!" Loudred yelled over.

"Wonder what he wants." I muttered to Vulpix.

We followed him over to a shaft that I didn't notice before, with Diglett waiting nearby.

"Diglett, I brought them." Loudred (surprisingly at a normal volume) said.

"Thank you, Loudred." Diglett responded.

Loudred turned to us. "You two are doing sentry duty today!"

"Sorry, I'm usually the one who's on sentry duty. But today, my dad gave me his duty, of board updating. That's why I can't man my post. I need someone to fill in for me, which is where you two come in. Do a good job, okay?" And with that he was off.

"And that's THAT!" Loudred yelled.

"Wait, what? I didn't follow any of that! How did we get into this?" Vulpix panicked.

"SHUT YOUR YAP!"

"Seeing as we don't really have a choice," I said meekly, "Let's just get to it, eh, Vulpix?"

"Oh, but, I have no clue what to do." She responded.

"On the job training, my girl, on the job training." I said.

I jumped down the hatch. "LEEROOOOOOY JENKINS!"

"Okay, what the heck was THAT?" Vulpix yelled at me as she clambered down.

"My special brand of insanity." As we walked through the shaft, it got progressively darker. "Ooh, what was that?" I asked when I felt something brush against my head.

"That would be your tail." Vulpix answered. "Sorry, I made it hit you in the head."

"Oh, forgot I had one, scary." Eventually, we made it to the sentry post.

"We're in position! Now what?" I asked as I got myself comfortable.

"GOOD! IDENTIFY WHO'S ON THE GRATE BY FOOTPRINT WHEN I ASK!" Loudred yelled.

"Got it."

We had plenty of fun guessing the visitors, and while waiting, I sung a few tunes, much to Loudred's annoyance.

"STOP SLACKING!"

"Uh, I'm not."

"JUST SHUT UP!"

"You shut up you darn fascist!"

"I SWEAR I WILL-"

"Just shut your mouths!" Vulpix finally yelled at us.

"Uh, yes ma'am!"

After sentry duty was done, Chatot met up with us to disperse some payment.

"Here you are, job well done." We got a smorgasbord of uncommon stuff, ranging from joy seeds to ginseng, whatever the heck that was.

"Heh, once we actually start doing work _for _the Guild, we get paid a king's ransom. Thanks, mate." I said.

We were served dinner, and then sent to our quarters. We then all nodded off.

* * *

><p>My dream that night was a little more exciting than usual.<p>

It started with me in the lab's living quarters.

The Professor stuck his head into the room. "Hey, Chris."

"What's up, Professor?"

"I'm gonna go into town to get some supplies, can you hold down the fort while I'm gone?"

"Uh, sure."

"Here, take this." He handed me a very familiar handgun. "It's dangerous to be alone."

I eyed it suspiciously. "You can't be serious."

"What? It can't hurt to bluff. See you!" He went out after that.

I stood there for a bit, before realizing my friend was nudging me.

"Sorry, (garbled), the Professor just really shocks me sometimes."

I then checked the gun out. I looked around it and hit the magazine release button. It fell out the bottom, and onto my toe.

"Ow! Come ON!" I picked up the magazine and saw that there was only a piece of paper inside it.

"Leave it to the Professor to leave me a gun with no ammo. Ugh." I read the paper out loud.

"Let's see: 'Do you really think I'd let you have a gun, Chris?' Oh, I dunno." I sighed. "Now what?"

I looked around for something to do and settled on a computer. I booted it up and brought up a news website.

"All right, what's going on in the world?" I scrolled through the articles, reading only headlines. "Ruins of New York City Declared 'Clean,'" "Contact Lost With Los Angeles," "Scientists Ask: 'How is conventional farming still working?,'" "Missing Boy Found in Paxico, Kansas." The last one caught my eye. It detailed how I was recently discovered in Paxico by the Professor after being missing for over one month. It also mentioned that I was a high priority target of a terrorist organization that I recently escaped from.

"Oh, crap." I said.

"What is it?" asked the Professor. He apparently had returned while I was on the computer.

"Uh, nothing." I responded, quickly closing the internet.

"Hm, okay. Anyway, while I was out, I borrowed this from a friend of mine." He held up a Polaroid SX-70 camera.

"Wow, something from when you were, no, wait. you were probably old then too." I wisecracked.

"Ha-ha, very funny," he said sarcastically. "Anyway, I was thinking we could take some pictures for posterity."

"Sure thing, Professor." I called my companion over and the Professor started taking pictures. Every time he'd pull out another picture from the camera and lay it gently on the counter. He then lay the camera on the counter, and set it to a delay. "Okay, everybody smile!" He then took a picture with the three of us in it. In the end, there were five pictures, two of which went in the Professor's album. My companion took one of me and him and stuffed it in his satchel. I kept one for myself, and the last one went in the Professor's wallet.

"Heh, we're like a little family, huh?" I said.

"Yeah, if you say so," said the Professor. "Hey, do you think you could return the camera to Mrs. Cobb for me?"

"Oh, sure thing, Professor." I took the camera and went to the front door. "Uh, wait, where can I find her?"

"Her husband runs that new hardware store. Her apartment's upstairs." he replied.

"Got it." I walked out, pulling my jacket a little closer as I stowed the camera in my inside pocket.

The dream quickly changed scene to a more relevant memory.

* * *

><p>I was walking up to the front door of the hardware store.<p>

As I walked in, a bell rung to alert I entered, and a tall, slender man in his thirties looked up at me from behind some shelves and said, "Oh, hello. Haven't seen you around before. How can I help you?"

"Um, do you know where I can find Mrs. Cobb?" I asked.

"Huh? What do you want with my wife?" He stopped stocking the shelves.

I held up the camera. "Is this hers?"

"Yeah, that's her camera. Are you the kid who's been staying with the professor?" He walked up to me to retrieve the camera.

"Yup. I'm Chris. Nice to meet you." I said, extending a hand.

He took it and shook it. "I'm Bill Cobb, owner of this store. Pleasure to meet you. Gary's been going on and on about you."

"Gary?" I asked.

"That's the professor's first name. Anyway, I'll go get my wife from the back." He walked back to a hallway and called out, "Hey! Mary! Someone's out front to see you!"

A young woman walked out. She was shorter than her husband, a little wider, and wore a floral print apron. "Who is it, Bill?"

"This boy has your camera." he said.

"Oh, how nice," she said, turning to me, "did Gary ask you to return it for him?"

"Uh, yes." I responded.

She shook her head. "The lazy bum, he only does things when it's convenient for him. I'm surprised he hasn't sent you out more often."

"Well, I'm actually surprised he did," Bill said, "seeing how he's a high priority target of that terrorist organization."

"You actually believe that?" Mary said. "The government's just trying to scare us."

"I don't know..." Bill responded.

"Well, you know what, I need to get going. Here's your camera." I put the camera in Mary's hand and walked out through the front door.

"Oh, come back soon, Chris!" Bill called after me.

"Sure thing!" I called back as the door closed. As I was walking off, my companion ran up to me. "Huh? Why'd you come over, (garbled)?"

He nodded in the direction of the store, and I understood it meant get inside.

"Uh, okay..."

I walked back in and Bill asked me, "Back so soon, Chris? Who's your friend?"

"Ah, he's okay. Anyway, um, I honestly have no clue why I came back in." I said.

My companion then dragged me to the back and pulled me into a closet.

"What are you-" I started, but I was cut off by the sound of the front door's bell ringing.

My friend pulled the door to. I stuck my head against the door to listen.

I heard Bill's voice, "Oh, hello, anything I can do for you two?"

A gruff voice said, "Have you seen this kid?"

"Um, who's that?" he asked.

"That's a no then," the voice said.

"Do you have many customers around here, Mr. Cobb?" asked a second voice.

"No, this is a small town you see, and I run a hardware store." He forced a nervous chuckle. "Uh, can I interest you in some wire-cutters?"

"No, thanks. I'd appreciate it if you call us when you see this boy." said the first voice.

"Sure thing." Bill said. The bell rang again, and a bit later, Bill opened the closet door. "Okay, those people showed me a picture of you, Chris. Do you know them?"

I responded, "I don't think so."

He then took on a very concerned air. "Oh, that means trouble. How about you and your friend stay with Mary and me for the night, you know, let the heat die down a bit."

"Uh, okay."

The dream then faded away, and I was left in the void of dreamless sleep.


	9. Becoming Explorers

Disclaimer: Oh I dunno. I planned on putting a pun here.

Chapter 9: Becoming Explorers

The next morning, instead of normal cheers, Chatot actually had some announcements.

"Er, ahem." He seemed very nervous. "Listen up, everybody, this is important. According to reports, far to the northeast, time has stopped in Treeshroud Forest."

That definitely broke the ice.

"Huh?"

"Eek! What did you say?"

"It's true, time has come to a complete standstill in Treeshroud Forest. There's no wind, and the clouds are motionless." Chatot confirmed.

"T-Time stopped?"

"How could something like this happen?"

"The unthinkable has happened. It happened because Treeshroud's Time Gear was..." Chatot paused for dramatic effect. "...STOLEN!"

"WHAT?"

"Someone actually stole it..."

"Quiet! All of you! Officer Magnezone has already started an investigation. It's unknown what the motives behind this are, but if one Time Gear is stolen, the others may also be in danger. The officer wants us to report any suspicious characters."

"Time stopped. Oh no, that's not good, is it? Just like New York..." I finally put in. "The City That Never Slept, put to Eternal Rest."

Everyone quieted down a notch to ask what I was talking about.

"Sorry, just rambling."

The morning assembly then drew to a close. Chatot then pulled me and Vulpix out of the crowd.

"What is it, Chatot?" I asked.

"Well, you two have been progressing very well lately, and I've been thinking that it's about time that you go on an exploration mission."

"Huh? Really? That's amazing, we'll actually get to discover something new!" Vulpix exclaimed. She was ecstatic.

"Can you take out your map, Riolu?" Chatot asked.

"I'm only gonna say this one more time. My name is Chris." I threateningly said. I took out the map and handed it over.

"Close enough. Anyway, we want you to examine this waterfall." He pointed at a location on the map where there was a waterfall. "We've recieved reports that there's a cave somewhere there. We'd like you to confirm or disprove them."

"Got it. Let's get going, Chris." Vulpix said.

"Sure thing, Val." I slipped.

"Uh, what?"

"Sorry, it's just your voice reminded me of someone named that."

"Oh. Okay." Vulpix was quick to forgive.

We went to the waterfall and found a cliff leading within touching distance of the fall.

"This is actually rather cool." I said.

"Yeah." Vulpix said, sticking a tentative paw out to touch the cascade of water. She was instantly pushed back. "Whoa! This thing has some power! See for yourself, Chris!"

I reached out to it and was nearly blown back by the force. "Wasn't expecting that!"

"Yeah, it's really strong, but I don't see anything." Vulpix said.

I then began to see colors and feel dizzy._ Oh shit, this again._

"I think we should-" But she was cut off by a vision.

I was in the same location I was at the time, but the time was different.

A sizable pokemon was at the falls, looking around. He gave a shrug, and ran full tilt at the falls from the cliff. He jumped last second and I was following through. I fully expected to see solid rock, but instead, the pokemon landed in a cave that was invisible from the front. He then rolled with incredible skill, and then the vision faded.

Vulpix was hounding me. "Chris, what are you doing? Let's get going."

"Um, I just had one of my visions." I told her.

"Really? What was it?" she asked, suddenly very interested.

I explained it to her.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I trust it."

"Yeah, but," she eyed the water suspiciously, "are you willing to bet your life?"

She was right, it could cause serious damage if I were wrong, doubly so for my partner.

"Tell you what? I'll go first, if I die, then you just go back to the Guild and tell them what happened." I joked.

"No!" She yelled. "We go together."

"Alright." I said. "We go on three. And don't hesitate. One, two, THREE!"

We sprinted at the waterfall and jumped. "Wah!" In midair, I swear I thought the wall was gonna come up and hit me. Instead, I came through the other side in a cave. I hit the ground rolled, but failed to follow through and ended up sprawled on the cave floor. Vulpix wasn't lucky either. She hit with her side and got the wind knocked out of her.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"I guess I was right then."

"Yeah, I guess so. Your gift is really useful, isn't it?" Vulpix said.

"Yes, I guess it is."

We then went through the cave. In it were quite a few water pokemon, a real workout for Vulpix. At the end we came into a central chamber, where there was an amazing amount of gems.

"Wow! Check this place out!" I exclaimed.

"This- This is amazing!" Vulpix said. "Whoa, look at that one, it's HUGE!" She ran up to a gem on a plinth. "I've never seen something this immense! Imagine what everyone would say if we brought this back!" She went up to it and attempted to push it off, to no avail. "This thing isn't budging!" She slumped down. "How about you try, Chris?"

"Worth a shot, I guess." I pushed on it too, but it clearly wasn't going anywhere. "Nope, no cigar." I stepped back, and I had a familiar dizzy sensation.

"Yeah, I'm gonna try again." Vulpix said, and colors began to flash before my eyes.

_Again? Seriously? _Whiteness took up my entire field of view until I was in the same room, looking at the fellow from before. He was pushing on the gem, but then he pushed in a different direction, and there was an audible click. He stood back, surprised. Then he looked right. I followed his gaze and there was a literal wall of water coming up to meet him. He turned to run but was quickly overtaken and submerged.

The vision quickly faded to my partner pushing the gem in the very same direction as the pokemon in the vision. _This won't end well..._

There was the click. "Something happened!" Vulpix exclaimed.

I looked right, "Oh, crap!" There was a wall of water.

"What?" asked Vulpix as I took a step back. She looked too. "What the-?"

"Run like hell!" I yelled. We got about ten steps in before we were overwhelmed by the wave. I blacked out.

When I came to, a Teddiursa was leaning over me in the shallow end of a hot spring. "Are you all right? You and your friend there just fell out of nowhere! You startled everyone!"

"Where are we?" asked Vulpix.

"You two youngsters are at the Hot Springs." said an elderly Torkoal.

"Uh, Hot Springs?" I asked.

"Do you have a map?" Torkoal asked.

"Uh, give me a moment." I came ashore and took out my map from my bag.

"Open it."

I opened it, and Torkoal pointed out a location. "You are here."

"Wow! That's, like, a mile from where we were, see?" Vulpix exclaimed. It was true. The waterfall was a significant distance away from the Springs on the map.

"That water really carried us far." I said.

"The water carried you all that way?" asked Torkoal. "You must be incredibly weary, rest here a bit before you head home."

"That's a great idea. Thanks." Vulpix said.

* * *

><p>We returned to the Guild later and told Chatot what happened.<p>

"Let me get this straight. Behind the waterfall is a cave, and at the end of that cave there's a booby trapped treasure?"

"Spot on, mate." I responded to Chatot's question.

"That's amazing, the Guildmaster will be very pleased to hear that your exploration was a sucess." he responded.

Something was a little off in my head, and at the mention of the Guildmaster, there was a small click in my head.

"Uh, wait a minute, Chatot." I said.

"What is it, Riolu?"

"My name is Chris!" I yelled. "Anyway, I think someone was there before us. Namely, Guildmaster Wigglytuff."

"What?" he squacked, "That's preposterous, what gave you such an idea?"

"Just, could you ask him for me?" I requested.

"Ugh, fine. Now go, enjoy your sucess for a bit." Chatot almost commanded.

When he walked away, Vulpix asked, "Hey, Chris, why are you downplaying our sucess? And why are you saying Wigglytuff found the cave first?"

"Because he's the one I saw in my visions." I responded.

"What!" Vulpix exclaimed. "But, last time you saw the future, how can you be sure he won't just go there later?"

I thought about that for a moment. "You know, I've been having some strange dreams lately."

"Are you trying to change the subject?" Vulpix asked

"Just listen." I requested. "In them, I was human."

"What!"

"I have a feeling that they were some of my past experiences. And in one, I had a vision of the past."

"But, how do you know you weren't just dreaming?"

"Good point." I then conceded defeat. "Alright, you win, I'm in checkmate."

"What do you mean 'in checkmate?'"

"You know how I sometimes say random things that make no sense?"

"Is this one of those times?" Vulpix asked, as if for the millionth time.

"Yes, it is." I replied.

"Ugh, why are you so impulsive?"

"Would it really be me if I weren't?"

A bit later, around half an hour before dinner service, Chatot called us over to the Guildmaster's chamber.

"Alright you two, Guildmaster Wigglytuff wants to tell you something." he said.

He walked to the Guildmaster's right side, and the Guildmaster said, 'Hiya friends, I called you two here to tell you that it's true, I did already visit Waterfall Cave before you."

"It looks like your exploration mission was for nothing, sorry." Chatot bluntly said.

"Oh, that's too bad..." Vulpix sadly said, as she almost began to cry.

"Hey, come on, perk up. Where's that lovely smile of yours?" I said in an attempt to cheer her up. "It wasn't a complete waste, we got valuable experience, and that's what counts. Come on, let's get some dinner."

* * *

><p>Dinner was the normal chorus of snarfing and munching, and it ended much too quickly.<p>

After eating, we headed to the crew rooms and got in bed.

"Hey, Chris, I think you were right. It's the experience that counts." Vulpix sleepily said as I nodded off.

That night, my dreams continued.

* * *

><p>I was walking out of the hardware store, and Mary Cobb was calling after me to be careful.<p>

"Sure thing, Mrs. Cobb! I'll see you later!" I responded.

I made my way back to the lab and when I entered, the Professor was pouring over his notes, and looked really excited.

"Hey, what's up, Professor?"

"Chris! You couldn't have picked a better time to come! I just made a breakthrough!" he exclaimed.

"What is it, Professor?"

"I discovered what the cause of time stopping is, and how we can fix it!"

"That's amazing, what is it?"

"Okay, are you familiar with the theory of multiple universes?"

"Yes, that's where there are many worlds, just like ours, but somehow different."

"Good, that will make explaining easier. Okay, we live in our universe, right?"

"That's a given, Professor."

"Okay, let's see," he poured through his notes and pulled out a map of New York City. He then pulled out another map labeled Treeshroud Forest. "Take a look at these two maps for me."

"Okay..." I took both maps, and noticed something. "Hey, these maps show the same landscape, but different landmarks, are you playing with me?"

"Oh no, you see, one map shows our side New York, and the other shows your friend's. Otherwise known as Treeshroud Forest."

"Are you kidding me?"

The Professor took the maps back. "No I'm not. As you know, New York City was ground zero for the time disaster, and apparently, it's where our universes touch."

"What do you mean?"

He took out a paper and drew two circles on it. "Alright, let's say this universe is ours, and this one is the pokemon universe, where your friend is from." He then drew a line between them. "This is a link between them, like the one in New York." He then drew a lot more lines. "There are many links between our universes, and many of them lie dormant, but some are more active than others."

"Wait, but, dimensional holes? Wouldn't someone notice them?"

"Most don't ever really do anything, but every now and then, someone goes missing, or something strange shows up."

"Well, why have they acted up now?"

"Someone with a lot of power has opened up all of them, and the time distortion flowed through."

My companion then took the pencil and quickly drew a picture of a pokemon.

"Wait a minute, I saw that guy in my vision when I held the Time Gear!" I exclaimed.

"Dialga, the legendary pokemon of time. He is rumored to have the power of a god." said the professor. "I always suspected he'd have something to do with this." He then went over to his computer. "I want you two to see something. It's unedited video from January 15, 2004." He then opened a file.

"Wait, that's when time stopped!"

"Just watch." The video then began to play, and we crowded around the screen.

The video was probably taken from a helicopter, and a woman was looking off to the right. "Hey, Ricky, take it a little lower, I wanna get a good shot of the Empire State Building." The camera then panned to the familiar skyscraper.

"Is this good, Sal?" came on the pilot's voice.

"Yeah, perfect."

The helicopter then went around the building, the sun shining.

"Sally, we're recording for the morning segment in five." the cameraman said.

Five seconds later, "Good morning New York, Sally Hudson here, and what a better way to start the day then to watch the sun rise over the beautiful skyline of the greatest city in the world?"

There was then a huge booming sound.

"What the heck?" The cameraman exclaimed. The camera panned to Central Park. There was what looked like a portal opening in it. "Rick, take us closer, I want to get a better shot!"

In the park, the portal expanded and a dragon-like pokemon came out.

"That's Dialga!" I exclaimed.

The Professor shushed me. "Keep watching."

The woman spoke again. "Guys, what the hell is that!"

"I don't know, but it looks angry!"

Dialga reared his head and roared. All the glass in the city broke, and the helicopter's cockpit's glass shattered too.

"My God, what the hell was that?" asked the pilot.

"It's not done yet!" exclaimed the woman.

Dialga roared again, and this time, it seemed as if it didn't do anything, even though there was a visible shockwave. Then, the cameraman said, "Oh my God, look at the river!"

The camera zoomed in on the river. It's waters weren't moving, and the wakes of the boats weren't spreading. Then everything got darker. As if the sun was going out.

"Holy shit, the sun! It's-it's- gone out!"

Turns out it did.

Suddenly, the video ended and so did my dream.


	10. Setting Off

Disclaimer: This statement is false.

_Um, I'll go with false, yeah definitely false. Anyway, the disclaimers are going out the window, I feel there's no need for them anymore, and they're just keeping the word count up. Anyway, I think someone's reading this, and if so, hello! I hope you have as much fun reading this as I do writing it. No, really, I do. I've decided to start off with a message this time. I'm playing through the game a second time to refresh my memory right now, so while I catch up in game, here's a little bit which is just some more prequel, but I'm not showing it to the main character.  
><em>

Chapter 10: Setting Off

Welcome to the Third Person

Chris was stunned at the video he just saw.

"Professor, was that-?" he began.

"No, I can assure you it's real." the Professor interrupted. "What you just saw was the arrival of Primal Dialga into this universe. He stopped time."

"Well, there's nothing we can do about that." he responded.

"Not quite, you see, the government's been keeping tabs on certain pokemon know as legendaries."

"Legendaries?"

"These pokemon are one of a kind, and have amazing powers. Dialga is one of them. He is a practical god of time."

"Okay, that's interesting."

"There are other ones we know of too, there's Latios and Latias, Mew, and then there's Celebi."

"What's so special about her?"

"Well, you see, Chris, according to ancient texts our explorers have found in the pokemon universe, Celebi has the power of time travel. It also mentions that it ought to be green, which is strange considering it's actually a bright shade of pink."

"How do you know?"

"The government's been taking pictures, don't you know?"

"Really?"

"Yes, we've analyzed her patterns, and it turns out that she's going to pop up in Washington state in two weeks."

"Well, what's that have to do with our dilemma?"

"The problem originated sometime in the past. If you can get Celebi to send you to the past before it happened, then maybe you can stop it!"

"Going into something without a plan generally doesn't end well, Professor."

"Which is why I want you to take this." He shoved a large mobile phone at Chris. "This is a satellite phone. I want you to hold on to it, don't use it much though, it only has about six hours of battery. While you're gone, turn it on and call me. I'll fill you in on the plan while you're out there."

"Professor, I never even said I was going!"

The Professor then grabbed Chris's shoulders. "Son, the fate of the world, no, both of these worlds, rests on you and Grovyle's shoulders. You don't have a choice."

"But, why can't you do it?"

"Son, I'm sixty seven years old. This old dog is at the end of his tracks. Besides, your gift will be invaluable, I just know."

Chris stared at his feet. "Professor, I'm not sure I _can_." He shook his head. "I'm nothing special."

The Professor then pat the boy on the back. "You may be only thirteen, but I've never seen a pair more capable of saving the world, you and Grovyle."

"Really?"

"Definitely, now go, and make me proud."

"Yes sir!" Chris ran out of the room to get Grovyle.

The Professor chuckled. "He's good, I'll give him that."

* * *

><p>It was 5:00 PM when Chris was finally ready to set off.<p>

"Now, Chris, that bag I gave you is little more than a glorified sack with a strap attached to it. It's not even that big, you ought to get a new one, alright?"

"Sure thing, Professor, stop nagging me."

"Now, remember, what's left in that car's gas tank will only take you to Colorado, you'll have to get the rest of the way to Washington without a definite method of transport."

"I know, you've told me a million times, Professor." Chris got into the same car he hot-wired the week before, and opened the passenger door for Grovyle.

"Chris, before you go, say good bye to Mr. and Mrs. Cobb, all right?" the Professor requested.

"Don't worry, I was planning on it, they're on the way out anyway." Chris twisted the red wires together and the electronics came on.

"Chris, before you go, I want you to have this." The Professor gave Chris a silver dollar.

"Whoa! A Silver Eagle! How did you know I loved these coins?" Chris was truly happy with his gift.

"I think that if you live with someone for a week, they're bound to figure out what you want as a gift." the Professor responded.

The car then started.

* * *

><p>When the car stopped in front of Cobb Hardware, Mary and Bill Cobb rushed out immediately.<p>

"Chris! What are you doing!" Bill yelled.

"I'm going to Washington state!" Chris responded.

"Why, dear?" asked Mary.

Chris looked ahead. "I need to meet someone."

"Who?" the couple asked.

"Someone who can end this." Chris said. "Anyway, I hope I see you two again."

"Me too, Chris, me too." said Bill as the car drove off into the night.

* * *

><p>The car was just on Interstate 90 when it finally conked out.<p>

"Finally, Grovyle, something exciting happens on this trip!"

Chris and Grovyle piled out of the compact and stretched their legs.

"Dang it, we've still got like, 1,000 miles to do!" Chris said.

Grovyle just gave him a look.

"All right, I won't complain, but still, how are we gonna get there in thirteen days?"

Grovyle responded in his language. "We walk."

The boy didn't understand any of it. "So, let's get going then."

They walked for about five minutes before the boy got bored.

"You know what? I'm gonna check in with the Professor, no doubt he's waiting for some kind of news."

Chris pulled out the phone and called the Professor.

"Hello, who is this?" came the Professor's voice.

"Hey! It's me, Chris!"

"Oh! Wonderful of you to call, where are you right now?"

"Somewhere on I-90. In Montana, we just passed the sign."

"Good! You've made amazing progress, but are you aware of the time?"

"Uh, no." the boy answered confusedly.

"It's three in the morning!" the Professor angrily screamed.

"Oh! Whoops!" Chris exclaimed.

"Nah, it's all right, I've been up all night with a pokemon I recently found."

"Huh?"

"She's called a Ninetails, although she insists I call her- oof!" The sound of a small fight for the phone was on the other end.

"Something going on over there?" The boy asked. Grovyle shot him a questionable look. He simply shrugged.

"Chris, it's my new Ninetails friend. Did I mention she's telepathic?" the Professor said breathlessly.

"No, that's new..." Chris responded.

"Anyway, I told her about you and Grovyle, and she's insisting that I let her speak with Grovyle."

"Alright, give her the phone, I'm giving it to Grovyle." Chris said. "Hey, Grovyle, apparently there's a girl on the phone for you."

Gorvyle looked extremely confused as he took the phone.

"Hello?" Grovyle spoke into the phone.

"Grovyle, you bastard!" yelled the Ninetails on the other end.

Grovyle sighed. "Ugh, Valerie, are you still angry about the incident in the prison?"

"It's not that!" she yelled so hard that Grovyle had to remove the phone from his head to avoid deafness. "I told you to wait for me to come before you and the boy left!"

"Why does it matter? You can explain it to us over the phone! Or even through those psychic messages you sent me."

"I can't exactly send them over one hundred miles! I could barely get them to you when I was helping you out of that jail!"

"Well then, why does it matter?"

"I kind of wanted to see him off..." Valerie said softly.

"And why is that?" Grovyle asked.

"None of your business! Anyway, I've already explained how to fix time to the professor, and now I'll tell you. Ready?"

"Go on."

Valerie took a deep breath. "Listen up, I'm only gonna say this once. You need to collect all the Time Gears, steal them. Understand? Time will stop, so run like I'm chasing you with my flamethrower after you get them."

"Wait, but won't I just be causing the problem?" Grovyle asked.

"No, that will only be temporary. Once you have all the Time Gears, you'll need to activate the Rainbow Stoneship, and then you'll need to defeat Primal Dialga before his temper tantrum destroys Temporal Tower, because that is when time stopped. When Temporal Tower collapsed. Trust me on this, though. He'll do everything he can to stop you. He's a wild monster, driven on blood-lust and survival instinct. If he sees you as a threat, then he kills you."

"Then what?" asked Grovyle.

"I never got that far." the Ninetails responded

"What do you mean?"

"Never mind, you've met Celebi before, Grovyle, right?"

"Yes, lots of times. First one was when I was still a Treecko." Grovyle neglected to add that he fancied her.

"Good. That means she already knows what you're doing."

"What? How?"

"She told me that she's spoken with future versions of you, and that you filled her in."

"Time travel is so confusing."

"Here's the most confusing part. When you change the past, our present will cease to exist, meaning that you'll be erased from existence."

"Huh? But, that can't be..."

"Listen Grovyle, this is your choice, you can back out if you want, or you can continue towards certain doom, but with the chance of a better future for everyone." Valerie plainly said.

Grovyle said nothing for a while.

Chris then asked, "Hey Grovyle, are you done on the phone?"

That made up Grovyle's mind. "I'm going to do it. For these humans. They never were even involved."

"I thought you would say that. Anyway, pass the phone to Chris, I'll have the professor explain it to him."

Grovyle passed the phone to Chris and he had a similar conversation with the Professor.

"Alright, got it. Talk with you later, Professor." Chris ended the call.

They stood there for a bit. Then Chris finally spoke up.

"So, that's what we're going to need to do, Grovyle. How freaking ironic!" Chris then began to laugh. "We have to stop time in order to make keep it going! That's freaking amazing!" Grovyle joined in too.

"Anyway, let's get moving, only so much time to get to Washington, and even less to meet with Celebi."

The duo then walked off towards Washington, not daring to look back. As they walked off, a soft song flowed through the countryside. "Here comes the sun..." One of them was singing.


	11. Team Skull

_Wow, this actually got Favorited by someone. I'm gonna need to step up my game. Time to respond to my first review. Let's see. Ooh, a small one from Sinister Pikachu. You like it? Seriously? Thanks!_

_Right then, I remember this bit, I think if you've ever played the game, this is where you really begin to antagonize Chatot and Team Skull. I'm gonna like this torture section._

Chapter 11: Team Skull

Welcome to Chris's Head

The next morning played out like any other. receive a personal wake up call from Messer Alarm Clock, put on my cap, take my bag, and stagger to the morning assembly with Vulpix. Chatot had an announcement.

"As you may have heard, there is a lake to the east, and the Guild will be mounting an expedition there soon."

"An expedition?"

"How exciting!"

"Yes, we will only be selecting a few apprentices to go, however, so you all need to do your best jobs so that you can be chosen."

Everyone cheered, and the assembly was adjourned.

"Wow, I sure hope we get picked, Chris!" Vulpix said as we went up to the job boards. She seemed really excited.

"Yeah, me too." I responded.

The day seemed like it was just gonna be added to the blur. But then we got a surprise at the job boards. My two least favorite pokemon were standing there. Vulpix gasped, and Zubat and his cronie, Koffing, turned to face us.

Zubat and I yelled at each other at the same time, "What are you doing here!"

"We're an exploration team!" growled my partner.

"Ain't that a shocker, the chicken actually did something!" Zubat insulted. "We're an exploration team, too! Team Skull."

"Original." I wisecracked.

"Shut up, Riolu! The only reason you beat us last time is we didn't have the boss with us!" Zubat spat.

Now, I usually take insults good, but I had a thing about getting my name wrong. It really sets me off.

"My name isn't Riolu!" I yelled at him.

"Ooh, I think I smell the boss." Koffing chortled. There was a terrible odor drifting down the hatch, and in came Skuntank, definitely the smelliest pokemon you could ever dream of meeting. I took off my hat and held it over my muzzle to act as a filter. It almost worked.

"Ugh, you stink, mate!" I muttered. Everyone backed off as he walked up to me. His expression was malicious. I stood my ground.

"If you think that's bad, then take this!" Skuntank then used Smog. I tried to hold on, but he kept on going, and I keeled over.

When I finally recovered, everyone was still coughing and wheezing, and Vulpix was leaning over me.

"Oh, come on, wake up!" she implored.

I wheezed, "I'm up, I'm up, give me a second." I pulled myself to my feet and put on my hat again. The room still smelled of smog. "Dammit, it smells like Mexico City in here!" I turned to Vulpix. "Let's get the hell out of here." I raged out of the room and didn't stop until I was twenty yards away from the Guild building.

"Uh, Chris, this probably isn't the time, but your aura is kind of showing." Vulpix softly said.

"What?" I looked at myself, an aqua blue light was emanating from my body. "Whoa, this is pretty freaky." I calmed myself down and the aura subsided.

Vulpix was off to my right, looking down, but apparently, my little tirade cheered her up a little. "I can't stand that Team Skull."

I went over to her and hugged her with one arm. "Those guys are just arseholes, don't mind them." I comforted.

"You're right, I shouldn't let them get to me." Vulpix sighed. "It's just they're so-"

"I know. Come on, let's go do some jobs, it'll take our minds off of them." I led her down to the main intersection into Town, but there was a commotion. Vulpix went up to Corphish, who was, as he usually does in the morning, loitering by the well at the intersection leading into town.

"Hey Corphish, what's going on over there?"

"Hey hey, the new cafe just opened, didn't you hear?"

I was already walking towards it when I said, "I'm gonna go check it out."

As I walked down the stairs, my partner caught up. When I entered the place, it was nice and open, and reminded me of an old style English pub. I was beginning to remember background information of my life by this point, but actual self stories were apparently off limits, except in dreams. At the front of the room stood a Spinda, Wynaut, and Wobufett, the apparent hosts of this event. Spinda then spoke up.

"Can I have everyone's attention please?"

The hum of conversation dulled and everyone faced the speaker.

"Thank you. I'm Spinda, and this is the Grand Opening of my Cafe!"

A small cheer spread through the crowd.

"Anyway, Wynaut, Wobufett, and I have created this Cafe for the benefit of all the explorers."

Spinda staggered, almost drunkenly to the counter all the way on the left. "This is my store, the bar..."

I muttered, "Hmm, any Vodka?" and quickly received a jab from Vulpix. Signifying "SHUT UP!"

"...where I can make drinks out of spare items you have. I can make apple juice and gummi smoothies, among other things."

"Hey, will these smoothies still have the effects of the items we give you?" asked a voice in the crowd.

"Yes, things like apples will result in normal drinks that won't have any special effects. But gummis will have amplified positive effect. But beware, the same is true for bad items."

Spinda then staggered over to another counter.

"This shop is the Recycle Counter, where you can trade in items for different items. You simply give us an item, and we'll give you another item. Apples for Oran berries, for example. Or, maybe you're feeling lucky. You can also trade an item for a prize ticket, which you can then chance. When you chance a ticket, you get a random prize, which can either be amazing, or bad. Everyone clear on that?"

"Yeah!" shouted everyone but me. I was too busy wondering if those tickets were rigged.

"Then let the party begin!"

Classic party crashing. Take all the good drinks, then bolt. I wanted to get a job done for the day, so I dragged Vulpix out.

"Aw, what about the party?" she whined.

"We need to get at least one job done!" I responded. I then went to Kangaskhan storage to get something.

"Oh, hello sweetie, what can I do for you?"

"I'd like to take out my gun please." I quivered slightly as I said that.

I took the gun and then went off to Mt. Bristle with Vulpix to do some jobs.

After we rescued a Starly on the fifth floor, Vulpix decided she'd ask me a question.

"Hey, Chris, why'd you take that out?"

"Um, I'd rather not say." I was honestly planning on pistol-whipping Skuntank of Team Skull next time I saw him. didn't want to tell Vulpix that, though.

We then finished the last job and headed back to the Guild.

* * *

><p>Uneventful night, next morning. Another happy meeting with the resident alarm clock. Then came announcements.<p>

"More news on the official exploration. We're going to have another team join us for this expedition."

"Wonder who it's-" my question was then cut off as a familiar smell wafted down the hatch.

"Ugh, that smell!" Vulpix said.

Enter my least favorite group in the world. "Oh, bugger it all." I muttered.

Zubat and I glared at each other. "You again."

"You two know these explorers?" Chatot asked, oblivious to our mutual aggression.

"We've met." I said with the utmost contempt. Vulpix then nudged me, and I realized my aura was getting on again. "Bollocks." I muttered, as I tried to calm myself.

"Oh, good. That means I'll need less of an introduction. This is Team Skull, and they'll be staying with us for the days leading up to the expedition, and will be coming along. Now let's all do our best while our guests are around!"

"Yay..." Came the unenthusiastic cheer.

"H-Hey, where's everyone's usual spunk?" Chatot said nervously.

"Oh, I don't know!" I yelled sarcastically while simultaneously nodding at Team Skull.

"Chatot, doesn't something smell about this?" Sunflora asked.

"Well, personally, I don't see-" Chatot nervously reasoned when we all suddenly looked at Wigglytuff.

His eyes were tearing up, and Chatot suddenly got a hell of a lot more frantic.

"Oh no! Everyone, try to act cheerful!"

"Uh, yay?" I ventured.

Balls of fire then popped up out of the floor, one singing my tail. I swore. Still wasn't used to the thing being there, let alone it being hurt.

"Try harder!" Chatot yelled.

"HOORAY!" everyone cheered. Wigglytuff then calmed down. Everyone sighed. Much to my amusement, Team Skull had completely freaked out. I was feeling better, but Vulpix definitely wasn't. She was kind of on fire. I took out my gun and lightly poked her with it. She snapped out of it. Everyone was leaving, so we followed the stream, but, we were once again stopped by Chatot.

"Goddammit, what is it this time?" I said.

"Look, I think that you two are being overly discriminate against that delightful Team Skull." He said. I scoffed. Chatot shook his head. "You know what? I don't even care anymore. What are you holding?"

I looked down at my gun. "Um, give me a moment." I popped out the magazine and examined it. "Yeah, that's definitely a Glock." I pushed it back in. "One Glock 'Safe Action' Pistol." I said.

Vulpix and Chatot just stared at me. "What's a- Never mind." Chatot said. "Anyway, we're out of perfect apples," he said very seriously, "and we need you two to get some more."

"Oh, no problem. We'll just head over to Keckleon Market and get some apples then." I offered.

"No! These are special kinds of apples that can only be found in Apple Woods." Chatot squawked.

"So... You want us to go get some?" I asked.

"Yes, it's vital that you get plenty. If the Guildmaster doesn't get his apples..."

"It's just some apples, what's the worst-" I started, then I remembered who we were dealing with. "Balls of fire?" I asked.

"Worse." Chatot confirmed.

"Damn, better get those apples then." I said. Vulpix and I walked out of the Guild.

"How come you do all the talking now?" she asked me.

"Why aren't you?" I asked.

Vulpix stayed quiet for a bit.

"And that's why I do all the speaking, _mi niña._" I said.

"What did you just call me?" she asked.

"_Mi niña, _I-I think that means my girl." I shakily responded.

"_Your_ girl?" Vulpix asked incredulously. "You've got another thing coming."

"Aw, crap."

Before she could begin to tear my throat out, someone came up to us.

"Yo, what's up little dudes?" I turned to see Vigoroth. He reminded me of the kind of guy who acted like a surfer but didn't actually do shit in real life. "Listen up, there's this new dojo place, you two should totally check it out. Vigoroth out!"

Because I really wanted to get away from my increasingly hostile partner, I said, "Hey, maybe we could, uh, race you to the dojo!" I then took off running.

"Hey, come back here!" Vulpix chased me all the way to the Dojo. She caught up to me as I was turning to enter the Dojo, and she literally tackled me across the threshold. We rolled in to the place and came to a stop in an unceremonious heap in front of Marowak, the owner of the Dojo.

"Huh? Customers? Oh my, I'm gonna need to clean up!"

The Marowak got to work moving boxes around. The place was apparently really new, the moving boxes weren't even unpacked yet.

"Well, what can we do here?" I asked as Vulpix grabbed my tail, which was uncomfortable enough, with her teeth. "Son of a-"

"You can go through one of my special mystery dungeons for training." Marowak put some boxes on the top of a big pile. "In these dungeons, feel free to exert yourself to your limits, there's no penalty for failure here."

"Got a course that will only take a short while?" I asked as I punched Vulpix in the face.

"I'd recommend the Water course, that should take care of you two fairly quickly." Marowak then put some boxes in a distant corner.

"Alright then." I led Vulpix into the course. "You know, you really ought to be fighting the enemy, not me." I said strongly. I really still hadn't got used to the tail thing.

"How do I know you're not really the enemy?" Vulpix retaliated.

As we were arguing, a Wartortle sneaked up behind Vulpix and gave her a quick water gun to the back. One hit K-O. "What the-?" I exclaimed as I was teleported back to the Dojo entrance.

"Told you." Marowak said as she treated to Vulpix.

When she came to she was more pissed than ever. "Dammit, Chris, why didn't you do something?"

"Bugger, we're not gonna be able to get any apples if we don't leave for Apple Woods soon." I left the dojo, bidding farewell to Marowak, as Vulpix followed me.

In Apple Woods, spirits improved as Vulpix burned all the resident grass pokemon to a crisp. By the time we were almost at the end, Vulpix was back in a good mood again. "This is too easy!" She laughed. I couldn't help but join in.

When we got to the end of the woods, there was a great big tree with apples that could only be described in one way. "I'm gonna bet that those up there are the perfect apples." I said.

"Yeah, but how are we gonna get them down?"

I walked under the tree and looked up, trying to see if any of the apples were low enough for me to hit off. Instead I came face to dace with Zubat.

"What the _fuck?"_

I jumped back as Skuntank and Koffing dropped out of the tree. Vulpix gasped. "You again!" Zubat flew down.

"Okay bastards, what are you doing here!" I threatened.

"Rather feisty today, aren't we?" Zubat asked.

"And to think we were going to help you two." Skuntank said.

"Eh?"

"Yeah, you can't get any of the apples." Koffing chortled.

"So we thought we'd give you some!" Zubat rolled some perfect apples out towards us; the apples stopped halfway.

"There you are, take 'em back to your dumb Guild." Koffing insulted.

"Hmm..." I thought a bit. I then sarcastically joked, "Seems legit." I internally laughed.

"No." Vulpix softly said.

"What?" Zubat asked.

"I said NO!" Vulpix yelled.

"Argh! You two idiots didn't fall for it!" Skuntank complained.

"Wasn't it obvious though?" I said, while acting as if it were an honest question. It really pissed them off.

"Shut up, Riolu!" Zubat yelled.

"I told you before, my name isn't Riolu!" I yelled back. I have a feeling my aura was going off again by that point.

Vulpix then jumped in. "You guys aren't a team, you're more like a group of thieves!"

"The Skull Gang." I commented.

"Oh, you've pushed it too far." Zubat shook his head.

"Now you're gonna get it." Koffing chortled.

Skuntank merely nodded. Koffing and Skuntank then unleashed what was probably a patent blend of noxious gas that would be illegal if anyone ever caught wind of it. Hey, I made a pun!

Besides that, when I came to, Vulpix was off to the side. She was unconscious. I shook her up. "Hey, come on, get up!"

"Uh..." Vulpix moaned. She shook her head. "Five more minutes?"

"Get UP!" I yelled as I dropped her.

She suddenly remembered what the situation was. "Ah! What?" She then looked past me. "Chris! Look!"

I turned around and saw that all the low lying fruit were gone, and only the fruit on the upper branches were left. "Aw, shit."

"Oh, we failed!" Vulpix exclaimed.

"Hey it's not the end of the world, is it?" I tried to comfort.

"Oh, but Chatot will freak out! And Wigglytuff-" She was beginning to freak out herself.

"I'm sure they'll understand..."

* * *

><p>"SQUAWK! YOU FAILED!" Chatot was in a frenzy.<p>

"Aw, crap." He wasn't taking it well.

"This isn't good, the Guildmaster, he'll- SQUAWK!"

"Hey, it can't be that-"

"You two aren't getting any dinner today!" he yelled at us.

"WHAT!" We weren't exactly expecting _that._

"But it was Team Skull's fault-" I tried to explain.

"No! I don't want to hear it! You are not going to place the blame on others! You're going to accompany me to the Guildmaster. I shouldn't have to face him alone." Chatot then walked off, with the occasional "SQUAWK!"

"Ah, man, that's bull." I said.

Vulpix was at a loss for words.

At dinner, there was a slight shadow over the place. The Guildmaster was absent; seeing as he had no apples, he was probably still in his chamber. Team Skull, smug bastards, kept on giving us looks that made me want to kill them. Everyone was casting Vulpix and me glances that read, "What did they do?" I was very uncomfortable and tried to distract myself by attempting to shuffle my deck of cards. Kind of hard without proper fingers. That changed everyone's look to: "What are you doing?" I eventually figured out how to do it, but by then, dinner had concluded. Time to face the client we failed.

We all walked in. Wigglytuff was, as usual, facing the other way, possibly doing something. "Uh, Guildmaster?"

Surprisingly, he turned around without much of a fanfare.

"Oh, Team Checkmate. Did you bring my perfect apples?" The niceness was killing me.

"They, failed, Guildmaster, sir." Chatot said cautiously.

"Oh, that's okay, Chatot, everybody fails sometimes, just tell 'em to give me the apples."

"About that, they failed, so the number of apples they got is, zero." Chatot cringed as he said this.

"So, no apples?" Wigglytuff asked.

"Yes." Chatot said with extreme caution.

Wigglytuff just stood there, then, what appeared to be a repeat of that morning occurred. His eyes began to tear up. Chatot yelled, "Cover your ears!"

"Huh?" Vulpix asked.

"Just do it!"

I covered my ears, which were already covered by my hat, and waited. Wigglytuff then unleashed a ridiculous sound, that was even worse than Loudred. It was screeching, like, um, maybe an airplane crash times twenty? I don't know but it was amazing. Suddenly, Team Skull came in.

"I couldn't help but hear, but perhaps you'd like something." Skuntank said causally.

"Hmm?" Wigglytuff asked as he stopped his uproar.

He rolled a perfect apple bowling ball style to Wigglytuff's feet.

"There you are."

"Oh! Thanks, friendly friend!" Wigglytuff waved as Skuntank exited.

I turned to face the door, if only to hide my expression. It took almost all my will to not explode at that point.

Vulpix wasn't faring much better.

"Maybe we ought to, uh, go?" I started towards the door with Vulpix silently in tow. Chatot overtook us and grabbed us both by the collars. "Yikes!"

He dragged us to the commons area, and scolded us privately.

"You're extremely lucky Team Skull intervened when they did." Chatot began.

I couldn't handle it any more. Neither could Vulpix apparently. We both said, at the same time,"That's bullshit!"

Chatot grunted. "I don't think either of you are going to be heading on the expedition with this performance."

That shut Vulpix up. She was already a little weak from hunger, and that was the final blow. I however, stood my ground. I stared him down as I leaned against the wall. Chatot lost the staring contest, and looked away as he walked off. As soon as he was out of earshot, I let out a big breath, had no idea I was holding it, too. Vulpix and I proceeded to our beds.

That expedition apparently meant a lot to Vulpix because at that point, she began to cry. "It isn't fair!"

"Life isn't bloody fair." I responded. "Just look at my situation." I lay back on my bed.

"Oh, Chris, why-" Vulpix sobbed. The exploration really meant a lot to her.

"Hey, don't worry. It'll all turn out okay." I sighed and tried to get to sleep. The soft sobs of my companion kept me up for at least an hour before I fainted from exhaustion, both physical and emotional.


	12. A Slight Delay

_Here's another pre-game chapter for you guys._

Chapter 12: A Slight Delay

Third Person

The pair had been walking for about an hour in the frigidness of eternal twilight along the highway when Grovyle noticed something.

"Chris," he said in his language, "look." Grovyle pointed off to the distance.

"Huh?" the boy responded. He squinted off at where Grovyle pointed. There was a building and a pillar of smoke emerging from there. "Looks like a campsite, an occupied one too." The boy frowned. "There's some bad people out here. Do you think we should sneak by?"

It was a valid point. Grovyle shook his head. "Shouldn't be that much of a problem."

"No clue what you said, but I'm guessing that means we should go up and say 'hi.'" The pair started walking towards the campsite. As they drew near, it became apparent that this "campsite" was more of a base built around a gutted gas station. As they drew within earshot, they could hear a conversation between two men. They were sitting around the campfire with their backs turned to the duo approaching them.

"Listen Bill, I think we should move out tomorrow."

"Why, Louis? I we can hold out a bit longer," responded Bill

Louis pointed out, "Bill, we've only got about two day's rations left, and there's no one for miles."

Before Bill could counter this statement, Chris stepped on something that made a sound. The pair turned around and brandished handguns, pointing them at the pair. "Who's there?"

"AH!" Chris screamed. Grovyle stopped behind him.

"It's just a kid." Louis said as he lowered his gun. Bill kept it raised.

"What do you want?" he asked threateningly.

"I-I-I..." Chris stammered.

"Bill! He's just a kid!"

"I don't care! You've seen what those monsters did to our friends!"

"I just wanted a place to stay." Chris said, exasperated and afraid.

"Listen, it's late. Bill, can't he just stay with us for the night?"

"Alright, but he's not getting anything other than a bed. No food!"

Chris smiled. "Really? Thanks!" Chris walked to the campfire and sat down, Grovyle did the same.

"So, what are your names?" Louis asked.

"Chris." Shortened form of a name that's much too long.

"Grovyle." The only thing the humans could understand.

"Pleased to meet you, I'm Louis, and this is-"

"Bill. Can't say the same."

At the fire, each got the chance to examine each other more closely. Louis wore a sweater vest over a long sleeved shirt and seemed to friendly and outgoing. Bill wore a biker's outfit, leather jacket and all, and acted like the kind of guy you didn't want to mess around with. Grovyle and Chris each had a little bit of dirt on them, and there was a significant tear out of Chris's jacket's left shoulder. Under that was what looked like a bandage.

"Kid, what happened to your shoulder?" Bill asked.

"Um, run in with some Sableye." Chris cringed.

"You too?" Louis asked, gesturing at Grovyle's scars.

Grovyle nodded.

"Thought so, Sableye have been raiding our camp for three days now."

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said. These Sableye come every night and take some of our supplies. Bill and I, we try to stop them, but they're too damn quick. We've lost six days of food that way."

Bill then spoke up. "We were planning on taking the van behind this station out of here, taking what little supplies we have, and moving somewhere else, but we don't have any gas."

"So, what you're saying is...?" Chris asked.

"We can't get anywhere and we are going to starve." Bill plainly said.

Chris leaned back and frowned. "Is the van diesel?"

"Yeah, why?" Bill asked

"Just curious. So, where are Grovyle and I going to sleep?"

"You two are going to sleep wherever we aren't in the convenience store." Bill said.

"Just stay out of the Dunkin' Donuts, Bill made that his personal area." Louis joked.

"Okay." Chris walked into the store with Grovyle. The shelves were all empty, and there were two counters. One was a crooked, falling apart Dunkin' Donuts, and the other a nondescript burger joint. It had already completely faded. "Wow, this place is kind of a dump."

Chris walked over to the burger counter and vaulted over the top of it. Grovyle followed.

"I guess we're gonna sleep here."

Chris laid down in a clean-ish part of the kitchen, and tried to get to sleep. Grovyle did the same.

The next "morning," Chris woke up to Bill kicking him lightly. "Get up!"

"Ow..." Chris moaned as he got into a sitting position against the wall. "Can I have five more minutes?"

"Ugh. I hate kids." Bill said as he walked out.

"Huh?" asked Chris groggily.

Grovyle got up and greeted Chris good morning.

"And to you too, I guess." he responded.

Chris stretched and the pair walked outside.

It was dark as always, but it was lighter than the "night." Louis was sitting next to the remains of the fire.

"Good morning, Chris. You too, Grovyle. Hope Bill wasn't too rough." Louis greeted.

"I only nudged him." Bill defended.

Louis continued. "You got your one night, but I can't help but be curious. What's a kid like you doing all the way out here?"

"Um, heading to Washington state." Chris said. _Not too specific._

Bill laughed. "We just came from there!"

"It's a wasteland, why would you want to go there?" Louis asked.

"Going to meet someone."

"Really? Kid, Washington's not exactly a safe place, are you sure-" Bill was cut off, however, by the sound of rapid footsteps. "Shit!"

"What is it?" Chris asked. Grovyle then heard the clamor of pokemon voices.

"The Sableye!" Louis exclaimed.

Grovyle suddenly became a lot more concerned. _If the Sableye are here, then that means that Dusknoir can't be far behind._

Chris tensed up. He still remembered how they attacked him on the train. _Nearly destroyed my only jacket, too._

Grovyle tried to tell Chris to run. "Chris..." He said in his language.

"Run, or fight?" Chris asked Grovyle.

Grovyle nodded to the side "Run."

"You two had better get out of here." Louis said.

"Things are gonna get ugly." Bill commented.

"But what about you guys?" Chris asked as he gathered his things. Grovyle was beginning to get a little antsy.

"Just go! We can take a few Sableye!"

"Uh- Okay! Good luck!" Chris said as he and Grovyle turned to run.

As the pair were running, they didn't see what happened to the men they left behind. The two were quickly overrun, and the Sableye took all that was left. A few went after the fleeing figures, but they had an almost casual pace, as they knew that their leader would be able to slow them down.

Meanwhile, up ahead, Grovyle and Chris were about to get a surprise. Dusknoir was waiting for them. He was hiding, and as they passed by, he tripped Chris and sent him sprawling.

"Oof!" Chris pulled himself up.

Dusknoir came out of the shadows and said, "Pleasure to meet you again, Grovyle."

"Dusknoir." Grovyle said maliciously.

"I see you've met up with another of our escaped prisoners. My, my, what do we have here?" Dusknoir said as Chris pulled himself up. "Oh, the boy with the Scream. We can't have either of you getting away, you understand."

"Dusknoir, I beat you once in battle, and I can do it again!" Grovyle readied his Leaf Blade.

"Oh, I know that, but can your friend?" Dusknoir suddenly turned around and delivered a Thunder Punch at Chris.

"ARGH!" The boy collapsed and spasmed uncontrollably on the ground. Electricity still pulsed through his body.

Grovyle was disgusted. "You, evil-!"

"Uh-uh-uh!" Dusknoir taunted. "Sableye?"

Grovyle was suddenly assaulted from behind by two Sableye. They knocked him out and bound him.

"Do the same with the boy." They complied, and soon, both Grovyle and Chris were bound with rope. "Good. Now, let's take them back to Dialga, no stops this time."

* * *

><p>By the time Chris and Grovyle came to, they were in a prison cell.<p>

Grovyle was the first up, and when he realized where they were, he cursed. "Damn it!" He then realized that his partner was in the corner. "Oh, Arceus. Chris!" Grovyle went over to him and tried to wake him.

"Ugh..." Chris moaned. "G-Grovyle, w-w-what happened?" He tried to get up, but a sudden pain went through his body. "Ow!" He got into a sitting position against the wall. "W-where are we?"

Grovyle was very worried about the boy. He apparently still hadn't recovered from the Thunder Punch, and was shivering uncontrollably, which is never a good sign.

Chris stood up, with some effort, and staggered over to the cell door. He looked out and saw a few Sableye guards and one human walking through the hall. Chris called out. "H-hey, where am I?"

"You're in Dialga's prison." He said.

"Di-Dialga's? Where's that?"

"Yes Dialga, you know, the big mean dragon fella? You're in Central Park."

"N-New York! B-But, I n-need to get to W-Washington!"

"Tough luck, kid. Oh, and you might want to get that stutter checked out." the man said as he walked off.

Chris slumped down, unable to keep standing. "This s-sucks." He looked around for his bag, but didn't find it. "Ah, Grovyle, they t-took our stuff. And I still don't know what happened. O-One moment, we were running, and-and then-" The boy shook his head. "I c-can't remember anything after that."

Grovyle was truly worried, but he didn't have time for that, because at that point Dusknoir walked in with two Sableye.

"I see you two are awake." he commented.

Chris suddenly tried to stand up. "I don't know why, b-but you're n-not giving me happy feelings, mate." He failed miserably.

Dusknoir laughed darkly. Grovyle was irate. "You bastard."

"Oh, now, that's no way to speak to the warden, now is it?" Dusknoir took dark pleasure in saying the next words. "Sableye, bind them and lead them to the execution chamber."

Grovyle suddenly took a step back, in front of Chris. "They aren't coming over to be nice, are they?" he guessed. They suddenly grabbed the pair and dragged bags over their heads. "Hey!" Both struggled, but then each received a jab to their pressure points and became limp. They were then dragged to a room and tied to stakes. Their hoods were removed.

By this point Chris's mind was racing. _Are we gonna be burned at the stake? _Grovyle wasn't thinking very positive thoughts either.

Dusknoir stared each of them in the face. "I hope you enjoy your deaths." He then waved as a signal for the Sableye to begin and left the room.

"Oh shit, that wasn't a good thing, was it?" Chris asked.

Grovyle sometimes forgot his friend couldn't understand his language. "No, it wasn't." Grovyle said as he shook his head.

The Sableye went up to them and started going all out on them with Fury Swipes. "Ack!" The swipes hurt the prisoners, but not as much as they hurt the bindings. "Wait a minute..." The bindings then fell away. "Oh, yes!" Grovyle and Chris fell to the ground and Grovyle dispatched their captors.

Chris laughed. "The _idiots! _How the hell did that even work?" He then looked around for a door. He then found one with a 2x4 next to it. "Think that's an exit?" Chris walked up to it. "Hold up, we're gonna need to get our stuff before we leave, do you know where they keep that?"

"Yes" Grovyle said.

"Okay, that sounded positive." Chris responded. "You lead." Chris opened the door and took the 2x4. "Don't ask," he said when Grovyle looked at him questionably.

They sneaked down the hall, Grovyle in front, and Chris in the rear holding the plank up as if poised to hit something. "Are we heading to the exit?" Chris whispered.

Grovyle merely nodded.

They passed some doors, then Grovyle went down some stairs, suddenly, they came upon Dusknoir, but fortunately, his back was turned. Ahead of Dusknoir lay what looked like the back door. Chris placed one hand on Grovyle and nodded towards Dusknoir, then the plank. Grovyle just looked at him. Chris rolled his eyes and then knocked Dusknoir over the head savagely, breaking the plank, which was already damaged.

"Oh," Grovyle said as they ran past Dusknoir's lifeless body and out the door. Grovyle then came across their bags on the top of a rubbish heap. The pair then ran into the park not daring to look back in case they had been noticed. They didn't stop until they were almost at the sidewalk.

"I think, that that was an escape. Great work." Chris said, out of breath from the sprinting they did.

Grovyle merely smiled. _Best part was we beat up Dusknoir, and you got a little revenge. _He thought.

"Anyway, let's keep moving, I'm gonna call the Professor." Chris said. They started walking along 59th Street as Chris called.

The Professor was on the phone within one ring. "Hello?"

"That was quick." Chris commented.

"Chris! Where are you? I haven't heard from you for a while. Are you any closer to Washington?" The Professor was excited as usual.

"Actually, we somehow ended up in New York City." Chris said, embarrassed.

"What? Okay stop joking, Chris! Where are you?" asked the Professor, laughing.

"At the intersection of 59th Street and 5th Avenue." Chris said, serious.

"My God, you're not joking are you?"

"Nope, genuine. Legit." Chris said.

"How in hell did you get to New York?" the Professor exclaimed.

"Not entirely sure, but do you have any ideas on how we can get to Washington within two weeks?"

"One week, actually. And I'm working on it."

"One week!" Chris had no idea that they had that little time.

"Yes, seven days. Okay, Chris listen carefully. The only thing that could possibly get you to Washington in time at this point is a plane."

"An aeroplane?" Chris said, confused.

"Yes, a jetliner, too." Replied the Professor. In his lab, the Professor had brought up a satellite image of New York on his computer.

"Where am I gonna get one of those?"

"Head to LaGuardia Airport, it's the closest to where you are." The Professor said that as if he had said, "take the door on the left."

"Directions, please?" Chris said, still a little confused.

The Professor gave them directions to the airport and the pair got there without a hitch. Grovyle looked up confusedly at Chris.

"I don't know either, mate."

The Professor was looking at live satellite images of the airport. On it was a dot that represented the phone's location. "Chris, enter the airport and head to Terminal C. I've gotten a fix on your location, so turn left when I tell you."

"Whatever you say, Professor." Chris began walking down the long hallway of gates.

"Stop, turn left and enter the gate." the Professor commanded.

Chris complied, but then he looked through the window and stopped. "You can't be bloody serious."

"Just keep going." the Professor insisted.

Chris kept walking but kept complaining. "A bloody 747?"

"It's the only one that was available." the Professor said as he brought up the user manual of the jumbo jet. "Enter the cockpit on the upper floor."

"My God." Chris said as he entered the cockpit. The cockpit was a mess of buttons, knobs, and gauges that flew right over the boy's head. Grovyle was a little concerned as he saw the boy sit in the captain's chair. Grovyle sat in the co-pilot's.

"Alright, Chris, listen to me, you can do this." The Professor then instructed Chris on which buttons to press and which levers to pull.

"Professor..." Chris said as the jet engines revved up.

"Chris, you already know the basics of flight, I've seen how many hours you've logged on Flight Simulator."

"Yes, but this is REAL LIFE!" Chris yelled as he took off the parking brake and enabled reverse thrust in an attempt to back out of the gate. It was agonizingly slow.

"Chris, you just need to take off, alright? Then you can enable the auto-pilot."

"What about landing?" Chris asked as he taxied the plane to the longest runway.

The Professor didn't answer that question, instead criticizing Chris on his technique. "You're taxiing a little too fast."

Chris merely sighed. He taxied the plane into position on the runway.

"Ready?"

"No."

"Close enough." The Professor had the checklists for a 747 on his screen. "Now, set flaps to 5 degrees."

Chris complied. "I'm not sure I can do this."

"Remember, don't pull back on the stick until 175 knots. Now, set thrust to full, and release the brake."

Chris followed his instructions, and suddenly became very serious.

Grovyle was scared just being in the thing, but then when it started moving, he was truly terrified.

"Don't worry, I got this." Chris said as the plane reached 88 knots.

"That's when I worry the most." Grovyle commented.

The plane then took off without a problem. "Holy shit, that was mad."

"You're not done yet, Chris, there's still the getting to altitude bit in the checklist."

Chris banged his head on the yoke. "Shit." Grovyle merely looked on, too terrified to comment


	13. The Traveling Party

Chapter 13: The Traveling Party

Welcome to Vulpix's Head

That night Chatot's words of discouragement echoed around in my head, and I was sort of glad that my night went without very many dreams. My partner, Chris, however, I think he had a worse night. I swear, I was woken up by him yelling, "You can't be bloody serious!" like three hours before sunrise. Three! I have no clue what his dreams were like, but they were probably related to what Chatot had told us that night. That we in all likelihood weren't going to be picked for the big expedition. That was really a low point for me. That exploration was a big thing for me back then, and it was dragged out from under my paws.

The morning after the epic failure with the Perfect Apples, we stumbled to the morning assembly in a daze. Chris was looking really sorry, and I don't think I was looking much better. Chatot might have had some announcements, but I wasn't listening. I was much too dizzy from emotion and hunger. Then Chatot just had to remind us of our failure a _second _time!

After he told us to do jobs on the Boards, he said, "Just to restate what I said to you earlier, we're going to be choosing expedition members tomorrow. But I don't suggest you two get your hopes up about getting chosen."

I was almost at fainting by that point. Chris was simply tired of the whole thing, I think, and he drowsily murmured, "Didn't we already hear this?"

Chatot continued unperturbed. "The Guildmaster is probably very angry at you two, and no matter his demeanor, I can't honestly say you have a chance of being chosen."

At that point I just zoned out. He lectured us a bit more, then he finally walked off. Chris brought me back, however.

"Hey, Vulpix, you hear that?" he asked.

"What?" then I heard it too. Someone was whispering at us from across the assembly room.

"Hey! Guys! Listen!"

Chris looked over. "Bidoof?"

He was standing with Sunflora and Chimeco near the crew rooms. "Golly! Not so loud! Come on, follow us."

He then led us to our room.

Chimeco, who bringing up the rear looked back. "Don't worry, no one saw us. Except maybe Croagunk..."

"What did you call us here for?" I asked.

"Here, take these." Sunflora then laid one apple in front of each of us.

"Whoa, apples?" Chris asked, dazed.

"You're clearly starving!" Chimeco exclaimed.

"So we set aside a small portion of our dinners aside for you!" Sunflora stated.

"Now eat up!" Bidoof commanded.

"R-Really? Thanks!" We then dug in, savoring every morsel.

"Wow, that was _great!" _Chris sighed.

"Thanks!" I said.

"Yeah, everyone needs a helping hand when they're down!" Sunflora cheerily said.

"Besides, everyone needs to keep their strength up in order to get picked for the expedition, yup yup!" Bidoof encouraged.

"Aw, hell, thanks, all of you, but-" Chris started.

"Chatot said we probably weren't going to be picked for it." I finished. Sadly.

"Hey, don't go around sayin' that! You're not out yet, no siree!" Bidoof attempted.

"Chatot's just a stick in the mud." Chimeco said.

"Besides, you can't ever _really _tell what goes on inside Guildmaster Wigglytuff's head. He's actually really impulsive sometimes." Sunflora finished.

"You know what, I guess that means we'll have to keep trying for those spots." Chris said. Then his eyes got a glint in them. "Maybe just to spite Chatot if not to get on the expedition, though."

We all laughed. "Yeah, we all need to do our best!"

As Chris and I walked out, Croagunk called us over.

"Huh?" We went over to Croagunk's counter. He was standing in front of a cauldron, full of Arceus-knows-what, wearing a malicious grin.

"Meh-heh-heh, what were you doing with Bidoof and the others? It looked so, sneaky..." Croagunk taunted.

"What're you taking about, mate?" Chris countered.

He ignored the comment. "Anyway, that's not why I called you over here." He then turned around and pointed at his cauldron. "I finally repaired my Swap Cauldron, so my Swap Shop is back in business, meh-heh-heh."

"Uh, Swap Shop?" I asked.

"You see, you may find you have items you no longer need, so you can just throw them in my cauldron, and you'll be automatically be paired with someone else who wants to discard an item."

"At random?" Chris said. He was closing one of his eyes slightly, which he did often. I have no clue why, but whenever he did that, he seemed to be thinking about something.

"Yes, at random. You might get a really good trade, or something terrible in return for what you put in, meh-heh-heh."

"Seems, interesting..." Chris said, imitating Croagunk's almost criminal way of speaking.

I blinked. "Well, we'll have to try it sometime, but right now, we need to go." I then nudged Chris's tail. That always got his attention.

"Hey!" he exclaimed as he realized I'd messed with it. "Why'd you do that?"

"To get your attention dummy, let's go do some jobs."

We did things a little different that day. I led Chris through the Guild, instead of the other way around. As we walked out, even though I didn't realize it at the time, I think Croagunk was softly laughing at us.

We went over to the Outlaw board and I picked out a fugitive Kadabra for us to capture, much to Chris's dismay,

"Why'd you pick him?" he asked nervously as we left the Guild for Drenched Bluff.

"Why not pick him?" I asked, "I don't see what the problem is." And I thought I was supposed to be the timid one.

"Well, h-he's a, psychic type, I don't really do well with psychic types." He said this as if almost embarrassed.

I laughed. "That's the problem? I can't believe you're worried about type disadvantages when I'm a _fire _type heading into a _water _type dungeon."

He suddenly became a little sobered. "Dammit, you're good."

We met Kadabra on the fourth subbasement.

He was cocky, way too cocky. "Hah! You two wimps are never going to ever get a shot at-" Halfway through his rant Chris got bored and bit him. It was super effective.

"Just shut up already!" Chris yelled.

Kadabra complained, "Hey, cheap shot!"

I laughed so hard that a Flamethrower accidentally came out.

Officer Magnezone got one well-done Kadabra that day.

Welcome to Chris's Head

The day after Vulpix learned Flamethrower was the day that Chatot announced the apprentices who'd be going on the expedition, if I remember correctly.

When we were going up I had butterflies in my stomach. Vulpix, she was a whole lot more nervous. Almost shaking. She would've been too if I hadn't been there to remind her not to every two seconds.

Chatot was holding onto a piece of paper. "Alright, on this paper are the names of the apprentices who will be heading on the big expedition." Butterflies. I was really hoping that Vulpix would be heading off.

"OK, first up is, Loudred."

"YES! BUT OF COURSE!" He walked up to the front and grinned.

"Next up is," Chatot blinked. "Well this a surprise, Bidoof!"

'Golly! I made it! Yup!" He stood still.

I was standing next to him. "Uh, Bidoof, you know you're supposed to go up to the front of the room, right?"

"Golly, I'm so excited that I'm rooted to the spot!" I face-palmed.

Chatot merely grunted and continued. "R-i-ight, anyway, Sunflora, Corphish, Diglett, and Croagunk are all going, too."

They all went up. Croagunk stood there and smiled darkly at us.

"And that's it." Vulpix stopped shivering and merely stood there, but, I had a feeling that she was crushed. Team Skull, the smug bastards, they were casting us triumphant glances. I was mad, in more ways than one.

"No, wait, there's some names scribbled in the margins. Chimeco, Dugtrio, Chris, and Vulpix." He seemed slightly disappointed that our names came up.

"You hear that? We made it." I said to Vulpix. I then realized how much of the Guild was going. I chuckled as Chatot realized it too.

"SQUAWK! That's-That's everyone! Surely there must be some kind of mistake, Guildmaster!"

Wigglytuff smiled. "Nope! It was a wonderful idea I had just last night! Everybody should go! So I revised the list and- YOOM-TAH! Here we are! It's gonna be so fun!"

Chatot sweat-dropped. "Alright, Guildmaster." He turned to face everyone. "Before we set off you all should go into town to prepare. Report back here when you're done, and I'll tell you what we'll do on our expedition. Well, let's all do our best for this expedition, pokemon!"

"HOORAY!"

I almost ran straight out of the Guild, but I waited for Vulpix at the entrance.

"I can't believe we made it!" I said as we walked down the stairs to town.

"Wow, Wigglytuff really is a bit crazy. _Everyone's_ going!" she responded.

"He's brilliant! I mean, everyone's bloody afraid to diss him, and he can be psycho! That's epic!" I ranted.

Vulpix merely stared on. "Right." She rolled her eyes. "Let's get to the plaza and prepare for the expedition."

In town, everybody had heard of the big expedition and had great deals. I went over to Electivire and linked some moves together half-off. I went to the Keckleon brothers' shop and stocked up on Max Elixirs and stored the extra stuff. I kept the things I always had in my bag, my deck, my gun, my zippo, and my mirror was taken out of storage. Duskull laughed darkly as I shoved all the money I had on me after the shopping spree at him. Marowak, well, she didn't have many deals, but she always provided her services to us for free and wished us luck. Apparently, not many teams trained with her, and we were one of her few customers.

I checked everything over, and with a different kind of nervousness, went to the commons area and waited for Chatot to begin announcing the provisions for our travel.

Welcome to Vulpix's Head

It was around noon when everyone returned and Chatot told us the goals of our expedition.

"The main goal of this expedition is exploration of Fogbound Lake."

"Fogbound Lake?" I asked. Chris seemed deep in thought.

Chatot continued, "Yes, it is said to be far to the east, but it is perpetually enshrouded in fog, so its actual existence hasn't been confirmed. But, there's also supposed to be a great treasure there."

"Oh wow! We're going on a treasure hunt?" I excitedly said.

Chris then muttered something as Wigglytuff said, "It's going to be fun, fun, fun!" I didn't catch what Chris said, and apparently, neither did he.

"Your Wonder Maps have all been marked with the supposed location of Fogbound Lake."

Chris pulled ours out and opened it to confirm the fact.

"It's not even on our map, because it's an uncharted territory, so we're going to camp at the base of the highlands, as is also marked on your map."

Chris then pulled me over and pointed out a location on the map far to the west of the Guild. "Right there."

"We're going to travel to Fogbound Lake in small groups. We'd be too unwieldy if we all traveled as one, so these groups are necessary," Chatot said.

"Team Skull will travel as the first group. Next up is Sunflora, Croagunk, Loudred, and Diglett. Then Chimeco, Corphish, and Dugtrio will be traveling together. The fourth group will be Bidoof, Vulpix, and Riolu."

Chris interrupted Chatot. "Mate, get my bloody name right for once, please?"

Chatot continued as if Chris hadn't said anything. "And that leaves me and the Guildmaster to travel together."

"Aw," Wigglytuff complained, "but you're so _boring_." Chris smiled.

"Please be flexible, It'll be hard to change these groups." Chatot countered.

"Meanie." Wigglytuff said. They were such a pair that it was all I could do to not burst out laughing.

"Anyway, let's move out!" Chatot finished.

Everybody went to go, but, as usual, but somewhat surprisingly, Chatot stopped me and Chris from going immediately. Wigglytuff and Bidoof were nearby, waiting for their traveling companions to come.

"Chris," Chatot said.

Chris blinked. "Whoa, you actually got my name right, mate."

"I need to talk with you a moment." He then pulled him away. When I went to follow, he added, "Alone."

At that point I went to join Bidoof and Wigglytuff near the exit.

At the other end of the room, Chatot pointed at Chris's hat and said, "How do you hear when you wear that thing?"

Chris reacted by almost yelling back, "What do you bloody mean by that?"

I whispered, "Uh, Wigglytuff, do you know-"

"Nope." he answered almost too quickly.

Chatot continued, "I mean, your ears are covered up, you can't possibly-"

At which Chris interrupted, "Fine then! Where do you keep the ruddy knives?"

Chatot looked at him agape, "Whaaat?"

Chris then literally dragged him to the mess hall.

"What's he doing?" I asked.

Wigglytuff went over and peered in, then laughed.

"What is it?" Bidoof asked.

Wigglytuff stepped back to join us, and we saw Chatot walk out, looking visibly shaken, followed by Chris. He wasn't wearing his hat any more, but was instead adjusting a headband with a suspiciously familiar color scheme.

"What did you do?" I causally asked.

"Cut up my hat, and scared Chatot." He then looked at the exit. "Better get a move on, then."

We left the Guild with Bidoof after everybody else.

As we left Treasure Town, I remembered something.

"Hey, Chris, do you even know what route we're gonna take?"

He stopped. He had been leading the group, so the whole procession stopped. "Uh..." He thought for a second. "Actually, no."

Bidoof shook his head. "Golly, you're hopeless."

"Let's check the map." I sighed.

We argued a while over the route, but we finally agreed on a coastal route.

After traveling a while, we reached a cave, and an interesting rock along a cliff that bordered the sea.

"Hey," Chris said as he walked up, "do either of you know what this is?"

"That's a Kangaskhan Rock, yes siree!" Bidoof said. We turned to face him.

"What do they do?" I asked.

"They're really useful to adventures, yes siree! You can access your storage from them, or so I've heard." Bidoof began to work up a sweat. "Golly, I'm new to this adventuring stuff."

"Well, that's nice." Chris commented.

I decided to take out the Wonder Map. I called, "Hey, guys, check it out." Bidoof and Chris came over as I pointed out where we were. "We're here."

"Hm, we're only halfway to base camp." Chris said.

"_Only _halfway?" I said. "That's, like, really good progress!"

Chris thought a moment. "I think we can go a bit further, why don't we make this our goal for the day?" He pointed out a point halfway between where we were at and base camp.

"OK, Bidoof, are you fine with this?" I confirmed.

"Yup!"

"Great! Let's get going!" I led the group into the cave, but then I stopped as I realized something.

Chris called over, "Uh, Vulpix, what's the hold-up?"

I checked again, and it wasn't my eyes playing tricks on me. "Well, it looks like there's two paths."

Chris walked up next to me. "Let's see..." He looked down both paths, then started down the one labeled Craggy Path. Bidoof and I followed him.

We went through the path without too much trouble. I did have a close call with some Krabby, but Bidoof and Chris stepped in and quickly dispatched them.

Welcome to Chris's Head

When we emerged from the dungeon, it was around evening, and we were at the goal I set for us.

"Well, that wasn't too hard, was it?" I asked everyone.

"No, it wasn't," Vulpix started, but suddenly, someone's stomach growled.

Bidoof piped up, "Golly, I'm pooped. We should set up camp and get some dinner!"

My stomach growled, and so did Vulpix's. "Our stomachs concur."

We all laughed as we set up camp.

As night fell, Vulpix lit the campfire. I was secretly thinking of lighting it with my Zippo, but I thought that Vulpix might be somewhat offended by it. You know, she'd feel as if I were trying to get along without her, or something. Anyway, we all got bored after a while, so Vulpix brought up a great idea to stave off boredom.

"Hey, maybe we should share some stories."

"Yeah, that sounds nice," I said unenthusiastically.

"Hey, Chris, you don't need to tell any," Vulpix comforted.

"Oh, alright then," I said, "Hey, Bidoof, do you have anything good?"

"Golly! I've got a real good one!" Bidoof explained. "It happened when I first joined the Guild..."

As Bidoof continued, his story deepened, and it ended with a very interesting meeting with a legendary.

After he finished, I couldn't help but comment, "You met Jirachi?"

"Yup!"

Vulpix commented, "Wow, now that's something,"

Bidoof asked, "Do have any good stories, Chris?" before he remembered that I had memory loss.

Vulpix was about to say something when I surprised her.

"Actually..." I began, "I think I might have a little something."

Vulpix suddenly became really interested. "Really?"

I began going through my bag, "I'm betting that you two are wondering what I did to scare Chatot so much before we left."

Bidoof said, "He was real shaken, yup, yup!"

"Yeah, what did you do?" Vulpix asked.

"Okay, I found a knife and cut up my hat into this headband," I took it off my head, "and this," I pulled out the other half of my hat, "using a knife. Understand?"

"Yes." Vulpix said.

"So, while I was doing it, I was like, 'You know, Chatot, I'm a little crazy, you know, you never know when I might...'" I paused for effect. "SNAP!" I suddenly pulled out my gun and nearly hit Vulpix with it, stopping just short of her face.

"WAH!" she was really scared, and Bidoof was stunned.

"I did that." I then sat down, and waited for the fireworks.

"That, wasn't, nice..." Vulpix softly said.

Bidoof just sat and shook his head.

"Look, I'm sorry, maybe we ought to just, turn in for the night." I said.

Bidoof, realizing that there was about to be a very awkward moment, decided he'd do just that.

Vulpix, was less calm. "Why'd you do that?"

"Why not?" I asked.

"Ugh!" She came at me. "You are unbearable!"

"I bring out your powerful side." I pulled her close. "Isn't that worth something?"

She then shrunk a little. "Uh, I-"

"Listen, it's late. We'll talk again in the morning." I then stood up and walked to the other side of the campfire. I put my stuff in my bag, and dozed off.

The next morning, we set off again. The promised talk never happened, and we went the rest of the way to base camp through Mt. Horn.


	14. Falling

_Just so you know, this is another one of those pre-game chapters._

Chapter 14: Falling

Welcome to Third Person

Chris and Grovyle were asleep in the cabin seats behind the cockpit, with the door wide open. The were sitting an opposite sides of the business-class aisle when a strange noise awoke Chris.

"Huh?" he groggily asked. "Grovyle, you hear that?"

Grovyle, who was also half-asleep, was simply annoyed that he was being kept up by his partner. "No."

"Well, guess we should-" before he could finish, Chris was cut off by a roar. The pair were suddenly awake. "What the fuck was that?"

Suddenly, the roar came again, and Grovyle determined it was from the right. He and Chris went to the window and saw that they had someone following them.

"Son of a bitch." He looked and saw a gigantic monster. It was like a dragon and had a diamond in its chest. They both knew who it was immediately.

"Dialga!" Grovyle shrieked

Chris ran to the cockpit. "What's our airspeed?" He looked at the gauge and saw they were only traveling at 250 knots.

He sat in the pilot's seat. "Time to go a hell of a lot faster!" He took the engines out of near idle and put them at full power.

Grovyle was terrified. "What are you doing?"

Chris, who understood the tone, answered. "Fleeing!"

As the plane got louder Dialga backed off a little, gauging how to deal with the problems inside. As he was thinking, he didn't realize that the plane was picking up speed and rapidly getting away.

Back in the cockpit, warnings were going off as the plane inched past its maximum speed and went overspeed. Chris shouted back, "Grovyle, did we lose him?"

Before Grovyle could answer, something shook the plane and Grovyle was thrown down the stairs. Dialga was attacking the plane, and Chris came over the intercom.

"Hey! Grovyle! I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this plane up! Get in a seat, and buckle up!" Grovyle got in a seat near the front and buckled the safety belt.

In the cockpit, the dials were beginning to give readings no pilot wanted to see. The plane was quickly losing altitude from 30,000 feet, and it was a battle to keep control of the plane. Chris lost.

"Brace for impact!" The plane hit the ground hard, but Chris managed to make it almost like a normal landing, for the first 15 feet. Grovyle looked back and the plane was literally breaking up as it slid across uneven ground. Chris, who was in the cockpit, was forced to see what they would be hitting. All he saw was a wall before the plane hit it and he was knocked out.

When the plane finally came to a stop, it was resting in pieces leading up to a building. Grovyle was dazed but unhurt. He unfastened his seat belt and looked around. The cabin was a mess and Grovyle smelled something strange. His bag and Chris's lay near the front of the cabin, where rubble was coming through the completely obliterated nose, and he picked both up. Grovyle went up up the partially collapsed stairs to see his colleague. Grovyle entered the cockpit to find his friend slumped over the cockpit instruments covered in debris. The windows had broken, and Grovyle saw the interior of the building they had hit.

"Chris!" Grovyle pulled his friend out of the cockpit and laid him on the floor of the upstairs cabin. Chris was in a bad way, bruised from the impact and unconscious. Grovyle tried to shake him up.

Chris coughed and opened his eyes. "Grovyle?" he hacked.

Grovyle merely shook him some more.

"Hey, I'm up! What happened?" Chris sat up, with some difficulty.

Grovyle gestured around them. "What do you think?"

"The plane crashed, and..." Chris then noticed the smell. His eyes went wide. "We need to get out of here, NOW!" He stood up, adrenaline shooting through his veins. "We need to find our stuff."

Grovyle held up their bags and handed Chris his.

"Thanks, but we need to go, _now._" Chris went down the spiral staircase and examined the carnage. He hadn't deployed the landing gear, so the floor of the cabin lay only a few feet above the ground where the plane had split. Chris ran up to the edge and looked out. The front had split from the rest of the plane, but the main section was still close, and on fire. The great jumbo's wings had all but disintegrated, and jet fuel bathed the four engines as the fire spread across the field they crash landed in. Chris hung himself over the edge and dropped to the ground. Grovyle followed.

"That thing could explode at any minute, run!" Chris and Grovyle ran away from the wreckage. They had landed on the outskirts of a town, and apparently into an apartment at its edge. They ran into the town and the moment the wreck was behind a building, it went.

"Shit!"

Bits of plane flew up and one almost got Grovyle, but Lady Luck was smiling on the pair, and they escaped without further injury. Chris then took in their situation.

"Alright, we've crashed, and we don't know where we are, but at least we're in a city." Chris thought a bit. "I'm gonna call the Professor, check in with him." He reached into his bag for the phone and dialed. He waited, and was instantly picked up.

"Yes?" The Professor asked.

"Hey, it's Chris and Grovyle." The pair began to walk aimlessly through the town they crash landed in.

"Oh! Chris! Where are you two?" The town was a collection of mostly low-rise buildings along a grid of roads, but a few prominent peaks went throughout the settlement. There was a clock tower, a church, and a very out of place steel and glass office building. The town was abandoned. There was a faded sign, which read, "Welcome to Fielders, Idaho! Pop. 14,189"

"Uh, Fielders?" Chris ventured.

The Professor nodded, "Yes, Fielders, my daughter used to go to the university there. It's one of the many cities that was abandoned when time stopped. Everyone in Idaho, well, everybody left, is holed up in Boise."

"Do you think we can resupply here?" Chris asked.

"Oh, of course, my boy. Even if people took almost everything, there's bound to be lots of stuff left behind." The Professor was browsing through various files on the town. "Oh, Chris, there's a supermarket on main street, you could probably find something there."

"Okay, sure thing, I'll head over there. By the way, any specifics on where we need to go to meet Celebi?"

"Actually, the Ninetails I took in, remember her?" The Professor was instantly tackled by the aforementioned Ninetails for not using her name.

"Uh, yeah. What about her?" Chris could hear the struggle over the phone, and gestured to Grovyle that they were loco.

"Yes, she-" the Professor shoved her off. "GET OFF! Anyway, she told me the Celebi always shows up at Deer Lake in Washington. And you have four days."

"Four!" Chris exclaimed, "I thought we had a week!"

"Well, that was three days ago," the Professor said plainly.

"What, but, we were only in the air for one..." What nobody knew was that Dialga pushed Chris and Grovyle a little bit forward in time. He would have done more, but they were traveling too fast.

Suddenly the conversation was ended. Both Chris and the Professor were left wondering what happened on their respective ends

"Hey, you still there?" Chris then looked at the phone's battery. "Crap." 0%. "Well, there goes that." Chris threw the phone out of anger at the wall. It fell apart.

Grovyle turned to Chris "What the _hell _was _that_?"

"Thing ran out of batteries. It's bloody useless. Well, let's go to Main Street." Chris walked along, and Grovyle followed.

When they turned onto Main Street, a row of two-story storefronts greeted them. Each had faded signs advertising various services. Barber, clothing, Western Union, and banking to name a few. The stores were left as they were at high hour, and a few restaurants had chalkboards advertising hot meals.

"Wow, I can almost image this place when it was full of life." Chris said as he walked up to the largest one, labeled "Supermarket."

When he walked through the door, the one thing he least expected to happen happened. Someone grabbed him.

"What the-" he started, but he was cut off, as the person who grabbed him also began to strangle him. He strained to get him off, but the man was too strong, and it was all Chris could do to hopelessly struggle against this threat.

Grovyle was instantly thrown into frenzied action trying to get the man off of his friend. "Get off of him, you bastard!" Grovyle yelled in a language neither assailant nor victim could comprehend. He was knocked back by a firm arm, and just as he was about to go all Leaf Blade on the man, a girl ran up to the three of them.

"Stop!"

She was a pretty thing, and her long, blonde hair was tied back into a ponytail. She appeared to be sixteen. The man continued, unperturbed.

"Dean! You're killing him!" When he didn't stop, she went up to the man, who was apparently named Dean, and swiftly kicked him in the crotch.

Chris fell to the floor gasping for air as Dean staggered backwards. Grovyle went to Chris, and the girl stepped between them and Dean.

Dean spluttered, "What was that for, Rose?"

Rose pointed at Chris, who was still wheezing, and screamed, "You can't just kill people, Dean!"

Dean flipped his jet black hair out of his face with his hand and leaned against the wall. "He was breaking and entering, that's justification enough." Dean was around eighteen and much taller than Rose, at around six-feet tall.

"The door was unlocked, and the place looked abandoned, anyone could just walk in!" Rose was indignant.

Chris finally recovered and grudgingly offered, "I'll just go, if I'm not wanted." He pulled himself up to leave, but Rose would have none of it.

"No! You're staying right here." She then took his jacket. "If you're gonna go, then at least let me mend your jacket. As a way of saying sorry for this jerk." She then left the room.

Dean threw his arms up. "Come on!" He ran out to follow her.

Chris, who at this point didn't really want to argue, sat down on a bench near the exit took in his surroundings. It was a classic supermarket, and the shelves, although not quite lined with it, had quite a bit of food on them.

"Well, now what, Grovyle?"

Grovyle shrugged and sat next to him. Grovyle, although Chris couldn't understand him, said, "We stick to the plan: get to Celebi, steal the Gears, and we save the world as a team."

Chris, ever oblivious, said, "After meeting Celebi, we'll need to take the Gears, and then somehow beat Dialga. That's right, isn't it?"

Grovyle nodded, "Yes, it is, Chris."

Chris continued, "There's just one thing, the Professor, when he told me what we're gonna do, he left out how we could return."

Grovyle was crushed. _He didn't tell him. _He suddenly felt as if there was a terrible weight on him. _He doesn't know that after we save the world-_

"Hey, Grovyle, what's wrong?"

Before either could go on, Rose walked back in holding up Chris's jacket. "Here you go!" She handed it to Chris and he put it on.

"Wow, thanks!" He examined it, and found that everywhere there was a hole, there was instead a small patch of fabric, each of which was different.

"Sorry, I didn't have blue checked fabric, so I just used old scraps." Rose then looked at Chris.

"That's alright, it looks better this way." Chris said. He honestly thought that it made him look a little better.

"Aw, thanks." She looked around then remembered something. "Uh, why'd you come here?"

"I came here because I thought this place was abandoned and I could get some supplies." Chris truthfully answered. "Are you the only people in town?"

A new voice called in. "Yes we are." Everybody turned to face an older man, who looked worn, and almost like an older version of Dean. However, his eyes were grey and seemed to stare into your soul, while Dean's were a soft blue. He went up to Chris, who had to look up to him. "Pleased to meet you, boy. I'm Lucas, owner of this store and Dean's father."

"Nice to meet you," Chris hurriedly said, "but I need to get going." He moved to the door, but Lucas grabbed him by the collar and dragged him back like a small child. Grovyle watched on from the doorway.

"Oh, no you don't." Lucas teased.

Before Grovyle could see the rest, he was suddenly pulled outside in a similar matter to Chris. He was pressed against the wall and someone stuck an aura sphere in his face.

"I got you, you rascal," he said.

Grovyle was confused. "Who-"

Suddenly, the aura sphere was subsided and Grovyle was back in control. When he looked up again, he saw an old Lucario with brown eyes looking at him.

Grovyle was shocked. "It's you!"

The Lucario gave Grovyle a quick hug. "I haven't seen you since we went through the portal into this world, Grovyle." He stepped back. "How have you been?"

"I've been doing well. I met a boy called Chris." Grovyle stopped when he saw his old acquaintance's eye's suddenly look nostalgic. "Is something the matter?"

He shook his head. "Just remembering you as a Treecko," he swiftly lied. He had known Grovyle almost from when he hatched. Of course, the Lucario wasn't exactly young then.

Grovyle shook his head. "Growing up, I always remember you weren't exactly the kindest to me. Why? Also, about your eyes..."

Grovyle's friend hugged Grovyle a final time. "Your answers will be answered when you have your last adventure." Before Grovyle could speak again, he continued, "I can't tell you any more, our time is brief, and I don't want to spoil it for you." He then slung a tattered bag over his shoulder and ran off.

Grovyle yelled after him, "Spoil what?" but the Lucario wasn't listening.

Grovyle sighed, and Chris walked out, waving back inside. "Alright, see you later!" Chris turned to see Grovyle. "Oh, there you are, Grovyle! I got a map to Deer Lake from them. It's only a three day hike!"

Grovyle simply stared off where the Lucario had disappeared.

Chris stood behind him. "Uh, Grovyle, what are you looking at?"

Grovyle quickly said, "Nothing."

Chris suddenly was very cheerful. "No idea what you said, but you're look at the way to Kansas, Deer Lake is the other way." Chris started walking. "Come on, let's get going." When Grovyle didn't follow, he added, "I'm entering the little cafe on the corner, come on in when you're ready to go."

Grovyle stood there for a few minutes, thinking about what the Lucario said. "My answers will be answered on my last adventure?" What did that mean? Of course, Grovyle knew him, and that he often said thing that made no sense. "Eh, probably just the old guy being crazy again."

After some due consideration, Grovyle decided to ignore the whole thing and join Chris in the abandoned cafe.

Chris was behind the counter. Grovyle noticed his eyes were the same color as his other friend's. Grovyle thought it was insignificant. Chris jokingly acted, "Hey! A customer!" He leaned over the counter and pulled up a seat. "Why don't you take a seat and have a little chat with your cook?"

Grovyle complied and said, "Okay, what is it?"

"Alright, Grovyle, I'll be brief, the food we have is zero." Grovyle was worried by that. Chris held up a finger. "But, this place ought to have some food in storage, so we're probably fine." Grovyle understood exactly what the boy was getting at.

One restaurant looting later, Grovyle and Chris were ready to set off.

"Alright, Grovyle," Chris said as they walked out of the cafe, "four days. Think we can do it."

"Definitely."

The pair walked off, imagining of the sunsets heroes like them rode into.


	15. Groudon's Heart

_A message from the author follows the colon: Spring Break has started where I'm at, so that thing called real life that always gets in the way of my writing? It doesn't really get in my way anymore. So expect this to be updated quickly. If you haven't noticed, odd-numbered chapters are generally game-story chapters, and even-numbered chapters are usually pre-game. Expect another chapter within the day: Grovyle's Reminiscence._

Chapter 15: Groudon's Heart

Welcome to Vulpix's Head

When we arrived at base camp, Bidoof was out of breath, but he managed to exclaim, "Huff- We made it! Yes siree!"

Chris raised a hand in a celebratory gesture. "Now, that was fun." He was also out of breath, but he said, "We must be pretty high up for there to be this much fog, did you know that there's less oxygen at altitude?"

I was confused. "Sorry, what?"

"Never mind," he said.

Everybody was in the middle of some tents that were arranged in a circle. There was a heavy fog over everything, giving the place a surreal atmosphere.

"Hey! Chatot!" Chris called over, "We're here!"

Chatot turned around, and as usual, instantly started nagging us.

"You're late! Everyone arrived hours ago!"

"Urgh." I sighed. Traveling isn't exactly easy, you know.

"Anyway, now everyone's here," Chatot said while glaring at us, "we can finally have a mission briefing. Come on."

Everyone went to follow Chatot except for one pokemon.

I called to him, "Hey, Chris, we're moving." I walked up to him when he didn't respond.

His eyes were unfocused, as if he were thinking of something.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked.

He didn't respond. I thought this was odd. He usually had something either extremely stupid, very nonsensical, or slightly witty to say.

"Chris!" I yelled in his face.

He was startled. "What?"

"Come on, we need to go to the briefing."

I led him to the meeting, and along the way, he mumbled, "I've seen this place before..."

Before I could inquire Chatot yelled at us to hurry up, for he hadn't got all day.

Chris began to say, "Aw, f-" but then I slapped him.

"Now's not the time!" I said to him. He was sometimes way too impulsive. I often had to push him into line.

He shut up and we got into our usual lineup for Guild announcements. It was just like in the Guild building, but, no Guild building.

Chatot treated it all very officially.

"Ahem, now everyone's here, we can finally commence the search for Fogbound Lake. As you have probably seen, we're in dense forest."

Chris looked around him, "Whoa, when did that get there?" he said, surprised.

I face-palmed. "You're an idiot."

"Fogbound Lake is said to be concealed within this foggy forest. Even if it is only a rumor, we have come here to search for it. However, many other teams have searched to no avail."

"Hey! Hey! Is it even there?" Corphish exclaimed.

Chris said, "I know this much, it definitely exists."

I turned to him. "And how exactly do you know that?"

He looked around, as if distracted, then said, "I have my sources."

Chimecho piped up. "Along my travels, I heard of a legend."

"A legend?" Chatot inquired.

"Yes, Fogbound Lake is said to be home to a pokemon called Uxie, Uxie is said to be able to wipe memories clean."

Chris suddenly became a lot more interested. He softly murmured something, but I couldn't pick it up.

"So even if an adventurer were to find Fogbound Lake, their memories would be wiped away by Uxie, keeping Fogbound Lake secret."

"I have no clue what I'd do if MY memories were wiped clean!" Loudred shouted.

"Ahem." Chatot tried to bring order back to the assembly. "It's only to be expected that folklore like this is attached to such mysterious places as Fogbound Lake. Try not to think too much about it."

My partner was clearly ignoring those instructions.

"You're to separate into groups and investigate the area for clues of the location of Fogbound Lake. Guildmaster Wigglytuff and I will stay behind to coordinate intelligence. While adventuring, keep in mind that foggy conditions persist and will limit visibility."

Chris said, "Cool story, bro. What are the groupings?"

"Your normal team groupings will do fine..." Chatot said.

Wigglytuff stepped forward. "I want all of you to remember not to give up heart, and try, try, try!"

"Alright, pokemon, let's get to work!"

"Right then," Chris said as he turned to me, "we should get moving."

We left the base camp and traveled along a path until we reached a fork.

"Here, let me take a look," Chris said. He went up and examined the sign.

Meanwhile I was looking around the side, and there was this little red stone. It was small, round, and polished, the fog almost seemed to part around it, and I felt that it was definitely something of interest. I took it in my paw. It felt warm, almost like a little ember, and I put it away.

"Right, I think I've got our path," he said. "We're gonna head through 'Foggy Forest' and hope we get some luck."

"Yeah, that sounds good," I said.

As we started walking, Chris said, "So what exactly did you find back there?"

I was shocked. How did he know? I wanted to surprise him.

"It's none of my concern really, but I really want to see it."

As I showed it to him, I asked, "How did you know I picked this up? I never told you."

"I saw you pick it up." He took the gemstone and held it up to the light. "I'd say that's a polished ruby." He frowned about something, probably the warmth of it.

"How can you tell?" I asked as went to take it back.

He pulled it out of my reach and laughed. "It's blocking the light. If the light went through, I'd say it was garnet."

"Since when did you become a gem connoisseur?" I asked as I grabbed it back.

"Remember when you left me at the cafe for two hours?"

"How could I forget?"

About a week before then, Chris and I went out to the cafe after we finished some quick, easy jobs. We each got gummi smoothies, and I finished mine first. He's slow to drink smoothies. Anyway, I left the cafe without him and met up with Chimecho in the plaza. We went around and I got a treasure bag of my own from Keckleon Market using a coupon from the Exploration Team Federation for a bigger treasure bag. I got it so I wouldn't have to worry about Chris losing any of my stuff. When I went back to the Guild an hour later, Chris wasn't there. I asked Chatot if he'd seen him and said he hadn't come back. I looked around for a while, and then I bumped into a Lucario leaving the cafe. The things on his head vibrated as he closed his eyes.

"You're worried, why?" he asked me calmly.

I suddenly spoke really quickly, "Have you seen my partner, Chris? He's a Riolu. I don't know where-"

Almost indifferently, he said, "He's inside, little one."

I went into the cafe, and to my surprise Chris was still there, waiting for me. I was surprised he stayed there. I guess he didn't get that he was supposed to follow me this time. He's one of the best pokemon I knew to lead a party into a dungeon, but, Arceus, he's dense!

Chris pulled me out of my remembering. "A Lucario from Crystal Cavern entered the cafe. He told me how to tell gemstones apart and about aura. He said I was unusual for a Riolu."

"How so?" I asked as we got walking into Foggy Forest.

"I have brown eyes. All Riolu and Lucario eyes are red, except mine."

I suddenly noticed it too. But I had never seen a Riolu before I met Chris, so I had no idea he was different.

"He told me how to use aura sphere, but, he said not to do it near anything that could break."

"Why?"

"I don't know." He then brought his hands together and pulled them slowly apart. I looked and there was a small sphere of aura, about two inches in diameter and slowly growing.

"Wow! That's-" I started, but then it suddenly exploded.

"Wah!" Chris was on the ground. He tried to pull himself up but only managed to say, "That's not supposed to happen," before he fainted. He always gets way in over his head. I pulled out a reviver seed and used it on him.

When he was up, I said, "Don't scare me like that!"

He chuckled slightly, "You're still wearing that look on your face."

I was indignant. "Learn to use it before you go killing yourself, dummy."

He and I didn't speak much after that.

Welcome to Chris's Head

We progressed through Foggy Forest. Fortunately for my ego and self-esteem, Vulpix didn't bring up my failed attempt at an aura sphere. It would be until I evolved a few years later that I finally was able to use it properly. He only encountered bug and normal types. Everybody went home either burned or beat up. Either way, Vulpix and I were unstoppable. Around halfway through, I realized I forgot to notice something.

"Hey, when did you get that treasure bag?" Vulpix had a soft cream treasure bag on her back.

"Do you like it? I got it while you were at the cafe." She smiled and modeled with the bag. Ugh, girls.

"How did I not notice it?"

"How did you not notice the forest?"

"Point taken. So, how much did you blow on that thing?" It seemed well made, so I was expecting a high number.

"Nothing!" Vulpix said excitedly.

"Wait, what? How?" She got something that good, for _nada?_

"A coupon came in the mail from the Exploration Team Federation that let me redeem it at Keckleon Market for a bigger one."

"We get mail?" I didn't know that. How much was I in the dark about?

"Arceus! You are freaking stupid, Chris." Vulpix sighed.

"Well, how am I supposed to know if no one tells me?" I was angry abut this. "How am I supposed to _fucking _know if I'm not told it?"

Vulpix was suddenly sympathetic, and a little less brave. "Well, I just thought everyone knew that..." She said weakly.

"How about you _think _for one fucking sec-" I stopped as I saw Vulpix tearing up. "Uh, what's wrong?" I asked in a soft tone that starkly contrasted the anger I greeted her with last time.

"I can't bear to see you angry like this," she said, "you're hurting yourself, and you're hurting me..."

I went next to her and sat down. She followed suit. "Hey, I don't want to be angry, you know. It's just, I'm tired of not having a clue what's going on. And since when did we have mail and you didn't tell me?"

Vulpix seemed a little embarrassed. "Heh, you see... I- uh, forgot to tell you that we got mail a two weeks ago from the Exploration Team Federation."

"There's that name again. Who are they?" I asked.

A disbelieving stare greeted me.

"Sorry, stupid question?" I said before realizing, "Oh, that name is pretty self-explanatory, isn't it?"

Vulpix hit me playfully. "You don't say."

"Whelp, break time's over!" I said, standing up quickly, then I suddenly felt dizzy.

"Ooh, are you having a vision?" my companion asked excitedly.

I shook my head. "Nope," I said as the dizziness cleared, "just stood up too quickly."

We continued onward for a long while. Eventually, we came out into a large clearing with waterfalls coming down everywhere, form seemingly nowhere too.

"Shoot, you have to wonder, Val, how the hell does that work?" I said.

Vulpix shared my view, but, "What did you just call me?"

"Uh..." I called her by another name again. _Why?_

"Why do you keep calling me that?" asked Vulpix.

I said, "I think, that you told me it once, in a dream..." I blinked. _What just came out of my mouth?_

"Oh. Alright then." _Wait, she, what?_

"You know what? Never mind," I said.

A voice called out behind us, "Hey! Hey! Hey! Didn't expect to find you two!"

I turned around and Vulpix jumped. "Oh! Hey, Corphish!" I called back.

"Oh," Vulpix began, embarrassed at how she jumped, "uh, hi."

"Find anything?" I asked Corphish.

He responded, "Hey, hey! I was hoping you'd ask that!" He then gestured for us to follow.

"So, I'm guessing you found something." Vulpix hopefully said.

"It's not really that helpful, but it's very interesting." Corphish said as he led us to a statue of a large pokemon. It seemed as if the statue were so heavy it had sunk into the soft earth surrounding it.

"Builders forgot to lay a foundation, I see." I commented. It made sense to me, but to no one else. Hey, I have a reputation to uphold.

Vulpix sighed. "Ugh, now's not the time for offhand comments, Chris."

"Just saying."

"Do either of you know what pokemon this is? I've never seen one before." Corphish said to us.

Vulpix was saying something and walking up to the statue, but I was thinking again. Thinking to half-remembered dreams of files on the legendaries, as they were called. They had groups, the three legendary birds, the Regi's, and then there was Kyogre and...

"Groudon." I said. "That has to be Groudon."

Corphish looked over at me and said, "How do you know?"

Vulpix called us over. "Chris, I think you're right. See this inscription, it's in footprint runes."

_Looks like gibberish to me, but should I say that?_

"It says, 'Reignite the life that burned within Groudon, then the sky shall blaze with the sun's heat..."

"Cryptic." I said.

She continued, "'...The path to treasure shall be revealed."

We all said at once, "Treasure?"

Vulpix said, "Wow, this is amazing, Chris, we've probably made it farther than anyone else, and know we know how to find Fogbound Lake!"

I, ever one to check reasoning, said, "Given, but reigniting life sounds rather difficult if you haven't noticed."

Vulpix then excitedly suggested, "Hey! You should touch the statue, Chris! You might have a vision!"

"I hadn't thought of that," I said, "I guess it'll be worth trying." I had nearly forgot about my gift, I hadn't heard from it in weeks.

I went up to the statue and placed my hand on it. Almost immediately, colors began to flash in my vision. A familiar dizzy sensation overcame me.

_Whoa, I forgot how terrible this feels._

As my sight faded to black, a white line cut it in half, and a flash completely consumed my vision. There was nothing after that. Just darkness and a lonely silence.

_Oh _shit, _what happened? Did something go wrong? I can't feel anything._

Suddenly, a voice called out, "That's it! It's here!"

Then the flashing happened in reverse and I was back with Vulpix and Corphish.

I softly said, "Well, that was almost useless," as I turned to face Vulpix.

Then, I was blindsided by another wave of colors and more dizziness. It was so strong that I fell backwards onto the statue.

I groaned, "Again?"

The flash, more darkness.

The voice from before: "I see! Put the Drought Stone in Groudon's chest and the fog will be lifted!"

Another voice: "Yes, good job, partner."

Back to reality.

I was leaning on the statue and Vulpix was over me.

"What happened?" I dumbly asked.

"You tell me, you just keeled over a minute ago and weren't responding to anything, not even messing with your tail," Vulpix said.

I simply said, "Oh." I was too busy thinking about what I just heard. _Drought Stone... could it be the ruby Vulpix found? _I decided to check Groudon's chest.

I pushed Vulpix off of me, and went under the statue of Groudon. Sure enough, there was a slight hollow in it.

"There it is. Vulpix, can you please pass me the ruby you found?"

She hesitantly complied. "Yeah, sure thing, but what do you want with it?"

I climbed up the statue and hung off one of the arms. The statue was tilted, so the hollow was right within reach. I put the stone in.

It was a perfect fit. "Like a key," I said. I then saw that the statue was beginning to glow. "What?" I said as I dropped down.

The stone shone brilliantly. Vulpix yelled, "Get back!" And she and Corphish ran to a safe distance.

As I took a few steps backwards, the light became blinding, and I had to shield my eyes. When the light subsided, the sun was beating down.

We all instinctively looked up and gasped.

"Hey, hey! Now look at _that!"_

"But, how...?"

"Okay, how the hell did we not notice that coming in?" I yelled.

Above us was something incredible. The water falls from above us were coming down from a literal thousand foot high tower of stone. From a distance, the thing looked like a giant, overflowing goblet. It looked as if someone had taken a huge chunk of earth which, judging by the waterfalls coming of its edge, had a lake in it and placed on top of a relatively thin column of stone.

"The fog, Chris, we've just been going in circles," Vulpix said, "not even knowing this was here. I bet that's why no one ever found Fogbound Lake. It was hidden by the fog!"

It made sense, and it definitely satisfied Corphish. "You two go on ahead, I need to tell everyone else!" And with that, he was gone.

"Well then, let's see if there's an entrance," I said as Vulpix and I made our way to the tower.

We had barely made it past the statue, which was between us and the tower, when someone called behind us.

"Hold it!"

Before we could even say a word, a familiar scent filled the air.

"Bloody hell."

Within seconds, Team Skull had assembled. They were between us and the entrance to Fogbound Lake.

"Whoa-ho-ho! Looks like the chicken and her boyfriend are still around," said Koffing.

We blushed. I stammered, "W-we-we're not-"

Zubat was a little more to the point, "Shut up! We're not asking for your opinion!"

Vulpix was shaking. I decided to give them some lip. "Alright, what do you buggers want?"

Skuntank was straight to business, "You've been a great help, solving the mystery of Fogbound Lake. However, your usefulness is now gone, so we are going to, ahem, dispose of you."

Vulpix was suddenly scared into speaking, "What?"

"Heh-heh-heh," chortled Zubat, "With you out of the way, we can get the treasure!"

Vulpix yelled, "So that's why you joined the expedition! You planned this all along."

I taunted, "In hindsight, it was really feckin' obvious though."

Koffing was a little annoyed by this, "Are you saying that Team Skull is-?"

"Hush," said Skuntank, "let's just take care of these weaklings and loot the treasure."

I brought out my pistol and prepared to use it as a club. "Feelin' lucky?"

"I should ask you that, Riolu," said Skuntank.

"MY NAME IS NOT _FUCKING _RIOLU!" I yelled at him.

Skuntank merely continued, "Last time we met, you were destroyed by our noxious gas special combo!"

Vulpix and I cringed, but I still taunted, "But there was some friendly fire, wasn't there, Zubat?"

"Shut up!" he said as he backed up.

"Prepare to fail again! Koffing! Use our special noxious gas com-"

"Wah! Wait! Wait for me!" A voice interrupted.

"Huh?" Everybody asked at once.

An apple rolled in the middle of us.

Wigglytuff came shortly afterwards.

He was saying no singing, "Oh, come back, my perfect apple!"

When he caught up to it, he grabbed it and out it on his head.

He began to dance, "Oh I caught you again, my precious perfect apple! If my Perfect Apple went away, I'd-" Wigglytuff then noticed his company: us.

"Oh, Team Checkmate and Team Skull. What are you doing dawdling around here friends?" Wigglytuff turned to us and said, "You should get going, friends. You need to explore the forest for Fogbound Lake." He then gave what almost looked like a wink.

"Uh, yes sir!" Vulpix said as she led the way into the tower. I ran behind her looking back at Wigglytuff and Team Skull. _He better know what he's doing._

Team Skull With Wigglytuff

Skuntank watched Team Checkmate enter the tower. He said to Wigglytuff, who had for some reason started singing to himself, "Shouldn't we go explore, too, Guildmaster?"

Wigglytuff was taken aback. He knew what they really meant, but kept the act on anyway. Besides, acting is fun!

"Oh no, we can't have guests do that. We'll just let those two deal with it. They are capable, you know. No need to worry about their safety."

He turned around and started singing a slight tune.

Skuntank was in distress. So were his accomplices.

Zubat whispered, "Boss, this is gettin' weird."

Koffing muttered, "That Team Checkmate's gonna beat us to the treasure..."

Skuntank growled, "Alright, let's just take the Guildmaster out. Then we'll chase the twerps!"

"Are you sure? This guy is, like, Creep City," Zubat said.

Skuntank murmured, "Don't worry, he's not going to be a problem. Besides, rumors say that Wigglytuff has some super-precious treasure on him."

Both Zubat and Koffing were suddenly excited and cautious at the same time. "Treasure! But..."

Skuntank decided to quell their fears. "Don't worry, I was planning on mugging him anyway. Koffing prepare for our combo. The great explorer Wigglytuff is going down."

What they didn't know was that Wigglytuff was picking up on their conversation. He had developed considerable eavesdropping skills, and was quite proud of them. Chatot might call it rude, but if you're the Guildmaster, you can get away with such things, and it was almost necessary for the continued safety of the Guild, and now, himself.

Skuntank thought, _No hard feelings, Wigglytuff, but you are going down!_


	16. Grovyle's Reminiscence

_I really hope you're enjoying this, if not, I invite you to criticize in the form of a review.  
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Chapter 16: Grovyle's Reminiscence

The road to Deer Lake was an uneventful one, and Chris and Grovyle soon found that the main problem on the route wasn't going to be meeting adversaries, needing supplies, or keeping up the pace.

It would be boredom.

This was compounded by the fact that neither could have a meaningful conversation with the other. Of course they could speak to one another, but Grovyle wouldn't ever be able to make Chris understand. If it were a group of just humans, a group of just pokemon, or a bigger one with both, it would be less tiring. But, Grovyle and Chris were cursed in the fact they had no one to _really_ talk to.

After just thirty minutes of walking, they made it out of the city proper, they were even past the outskirts. All there was was country as far as the eye could see. But it wasn't green or amber. It was black. The enveloping blackness that the two lived with. Grovyle for his life, and Chris ever since childhood.

Both had some memories of the sun. Chris's were real, and Grovyle's, him being a grass-type pokemon, were the kind built in to the species. Both were terribly aware that it was missing.

Along the way, they passed a large abandoned shack, with a sign in front saying, "FORECLOSURE."

"Looks like somebody's lease expired."

Those words reminded Grovyle of his early days.

Welcome to Grovyle's Past

When Grovyle was a young Treecko, he lived in Treasure Town, or what was left of it. When he was five, he was kicked out of the re-collapsed Marowak Dojo and told to seek board in the old Wigglytuff Guild.

"But-" he began.

The old Marowak yelled, "But nothing! The only reason I've let you stay this long is because your godfather was a good friend of mine, and he personally asked me to! Your lease is up! Go to the Guild!" and slammed the door.

Treecko wasn't all that surprised. Miss Marowak was always open to visitors, but not boarders.

He sighed, and went off to the old Guild building, satchel on shoulder. Marowak had said it used to be his mother's, so of course he held onto it. His mother. Marowak said that she had gone out to check on some friends who disappeared when _it_ happened, Treecko's egg hadn't even hatched yet. She never returned. On his way, he walked through the abandoned plaza. He'd heard that it used to be full of life, but in the dark, the dilapidated place seemed as if it had always been lifeless.

When he arrived at the building, he saw that it really did look like a Wigglytuff. Sort of. It was faded and cracked, and almost looked ready to collapse. In front of it was deep hole. When Treecko looked down into it, he saw what looked like a grate. He was confused for a moment as to why it was down there and not up top, but he figured that it, like everything else, had been ready to go for a while. Deciding that it couldn't be helped, he went up to the door and knocked.

A ridiculously loud voice called up, "WHO IS IT?"

Treecko was so surprised, he could only just stammer out, "Uh, it's Treecko."

Almost as soon as he finished, a voice from behind the door said, "He's telling the truth, Exploud. Should we let him in?"

"GO AHEAD!"

The door opened and behind it stood a Lucario that wore a headband above closed eyes. The four appendages on his head were raised and vibrating, indicating he was using aura. When Treecko failed to move, he said, "It's best if you move quickly, Treecko, I don't have much patience."

Treecko quickly moved into the building as the Lucario shut the door and stopped using aura. Still facing the other way, he said, "Head downstairs, and tell old Chatot what your business is." He then sat on a stool, and watched as Treecko went down the ladder.

When he went into the public area, there were only two pokemon there. A Ninetails and a Chatot. The rest of the room was in disarray. They talked for a couple of minutes before the Ninetails noticed Treecko and pointed him out to Chatot.

Chatot went up to him. In an aged, annoyed voice, he asked, "What do you need?"

Treecko said, "Marowak told me to look for board here."

Chatot grunted. "I'm sorry, but unless some decides to take you in, we simply can't."

The Ninetails spoke up, "Team Checkmate can take him in."

Chatot was surprised at this, "But, Valerie, are you sure-"

"He'll be fine," she said.

Treecko wasn't entirely sure, but he had a feeling they weren't talking about him. His mind wandered, the Lucario seemed familiar, had they met before?

He was brought back by the Ninetails, Valerie. "Come on, Treecko, I'll show you where you'll be staying."

As she led him down the second ladder, he couldn't help but ask, "Why are you called Valerie?"

They walked through the Guild's old commons area. "It was a name given to me by my partner."

Treecko became curious. "Why'd he do that?"

She kept walking and led him to the end of a corridor. "He kept calling me that when I was a Vulpix, and by the time I evolved, I decided to make the change official."

Treecko was confused, but before he could asked another question, they were in a room with two straw beds, and Valerie said, "Here we are. You'll be sharing a room with my partner and me. I'll go get some straw for another bed. Make yourself at home." She left.

Treecko took off his satchel and lay it in the corner. He looked around the room, and spied one thing of interest on one of the beds. It looked like a bag, but there were no visible places to open it. Just some metal stitching. He picked it up and was about to look it over when a voice interrupted him.

"My partner would kill you if he knew you were messing with that."

Treecko dropped the bag and looked to see Valerie standing in the doorway with the straw.

"Sorry," he quickly said.

"Don't worry, what he doesn't know won't hurt him." She then laid out his bed away from the other two. "There you go." Treecko went over and sat on it. It was surprisingly comfortable.

"Thank you." Treecko made himself comfortable, then asked, "Who's your partner?"

"You'll meet him soon enough, he's almost off duty, he's substituting for a friend." She looked up, then quickly added, "Stay here for now, alright? I'll be back later." She then left and Treecko was left alone with his thoughts.

He couldn't shake the feeling he knew the Lucario at the door somehow. But, he didn't have any real memory of him. Or did he?

After half an hour he heard voices outside.

The first was Valerie's, "Please don't get angry at me for this."

The second was the Lucario's, "For what?"

She then said, "You'll see."

She then walked in and said, "Hi, Treecko. Meet my partner-"

The Lucario then entered. "You've got to be bloody kidding me." Treecko then noticed something.

"Hey, your eyes aren't red like they're supposed to be, Lucario. They're brown."

"Don't call me Lucario, it's not my name. Also, could you excuse us a second?" He aggressively said.

Treecko, oblivious, continued, "But if your name's not Lucario, then what-" At that, he was picked up by the Lucario, and almost thrown out the door. "Go talk to Bibarel or something!"

Treecko turned to Valerie, but she merely motioned him out.

Treecko walked back into the commons area, and saw that there were quite a few older pokemon in there. there was a Crawdaunt, the Chatot from before, an Exploud, and a Bibarel. Crawdaunt noticed him first.

"Hey, hey! Haven't seen you around here before." He, and everyone else in the room went up to Treecko.

"WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE?" asked Exploud. Everybody stepped back a few feet.

Bibarel spoke up, "Gol-ly, Exploud, you're gonna make me deaf, literally."

Chatot continued, "I'm surprised we still have our hearing, personally. Anyway, Team Checkmate took in Treecko recently as a member."

"WHAT?" Everyone exclaimed at once.

The Lucario had walked right up behind him, and surprised him when he grudgingly said, "Yes, we did."

Treecko quickly turned around and exclaimed, "Where'd you come from?"

Val walked into the room and said, "I've convinced this old lug," she shook the Lucario, "to let you stay a while."

She was interrupted, "_IF _he pulls his weight." Everyone turned to see an old Wigglytuff. "Friends are friends, but, I think that in these times, we really need to work hard, almost no time for fun." He turned to Treecko and smiled. "Understand, friend?"

Treecko said, "Uh, yes!"

"Welcome to Wigglytuff Guild!"

Return to the Present

"Hey, Grovyle, you there?" Chris was waving a hand in front of Grovyle's face.

Grovyle was annoyed and looked angrily at Chris.

"Hey, don't look at me like that! You were zoned out."

Grovyle's mind was wandering, and he could only say, "Oh."

"Uh, Grovyle, if you're feeling unwell..."

"I'm fine!" Grovyle stormed ahead, and Chris ran up behind him.

"Hey wait up!"

Back to the Past

It was Treecko's first actual mission at the Guild. Treecko and Team Checkmate were in Apple Woods, and while he was off examining one of the many dead trees, he realized that the others were leaving without him.

"Hey, wait up!"

He ran up to meet them, and ran straight into-

"Uh, sorry, Lucario," Treecko quickly apologized.

"Dammit! I told you that's not my name!"

"Then what is it?" he asked.

The strange Lucario suddenly seemed to be debating something.

Treecko was confused, and asked, "Valerie, what's he worried about?"

"Time paradoxes," they both said at the same time.

More confusion. "What's a paradox?"

The strange Lucario said, "I told you when you're older."

Treecko was even more confused. "What do you mean, 'told me?'"

"Never mind! I'll give you a name, call me, Luc. It sounds sophisticated," he said. Then, almost as an afterthought, "and French. Dammit, I hate Frenchies. Ah, give me thirty seconds."

Treecko turned to Val. "Is he always crazy like this?"

Val sighed, "Yes, always has been, ever since he was a Riolu."

"Randy. You can call me that," he said.

"Okay, Randy. What're we doing again?" Treecko asked sceptically.

"Getting food for the Guild. Lots of apples, and a couple of perfect ones," said "Randy."

"Perfect apples?"

Val jumped in, "Oh, they're apples that are so amazing, that they can only be described as Perfect. Very rare after time stopped."

They continued for a while, then Treecko decided he'd share some stories. "I've stayed at the old Dojo for my entire life."

Randy said, "I know that."

Treecko continued, "Marowak said my mama went out to look for someone and never came back."

Val gulped, and said, "We knew her, Treecko."

"Really?" He didn't know they knew his mom. "What was she like?"

Randy said, "I met her when she was a Treecko, like you. We were all young then. None of us had evolved. Saved her from a pissed off Luxray. She was kind, and she joined our team."

Val continued, "She met your father while on our team, too."

"My, father?" Treecko didn't even know his father's name.

"Yes, he joined our team after your mum destroyed him in Crystal Cavern, again we were all still young. He was impressed that he was beaten by a Treecko," Randy said.

"Who was he?"

"We'll tell you later," said Val.

They proceeded to the end of the path, and were under a big tree. A few apples were at its peak. This one, surprisingly, almost had some life in it.

Treecko said, "Wow."

Randy said, "Alright, now, Treecko, are you a good enough climber to get the apples at the top?"

He responded, "Not sure, let me try."

He ascended the tree in under thirty seconds, and yelled, "I'll throw down the apples! Is that okay?"

Val said, "Just fine, Treecko!"

He threw down around 12 apples then came down.

Randy looked up. "Normally, I'd throw a couple of aura spheres up there and hope for the best, but your way is definitely better."

Back to the Present

"Better loot it, right, mate?"

Grovyle was back from memory lane and standing in front of a road-side diner with Chris.

"Come on, can't be that hard to break in." Chris walked up to the door, and kicked the glass.

Two things happened. First, the glass shattered, and second, a loud audio alarm kicked in.

"Oh, _SHIT!"_

Chris ran inside and looked for a way to stop it.

Grovyle, not wanting to get his feet cut up, waited outside, and could swear he heard the clamor of Sableye.

The alarm stopped and Chris walked outside. "Did we attract any attention?" he asked dumbly.

Very quickly the pair saw a group of Sableye led by Dusknoir coming their way.

Both said, "Crap." Chris ran inside and came out with a flat-head screwdriver. Grovyle was dumbfounded but intrigued.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Chris jumped into an old black convertible, jammed the screwdriver into the ignition, and turned it like a key. The car started.

"Bloody hell, he wasn't lying." Chris the opened the passenger door. "Grovyle! Get in!" Grovyle ran into the car and slammed the door shut as Chris got the car going.

"Alright, they're in the way." Chris was speeding towards the group of pokemon rushing towards them. "Time for some violent mowing."

The car plowed through the group at fifty-five miles per hour, not one pokemon was hit, but somebody jumped on.

"Grovyle!" Dusknoir yelled as he landed in the backseat, "You and your friend will be punished for what you are trying to do!"

Chris turned around. "Aw, crap, not you again!"

Grovyle said, "Try and stop us, Dusknoir!"

Grovyle and Dusknoir then began a full out brawl.

Grovyle tried to Leaf Blade Dusknoir in the face, but even in these close quarters, Dusknoir somehow dodged and went in with a Thunder Punch.

It narrowly missed Grovyle and hit the dash.

"Hey, jerkweed! You're screwing up the dashboard!" Chris said.

Dusknoir then grabbed Grovyle and almost threw him off the car. Grovyle was on the hood, holding on to the windshield, and Chris could see all of it.

"Grovyle! Hang on!"

Dusknoir was about to deliver the final blow.

Chris then grabbed Grovyle and slammed on the brakes.

Dusknoir was thrown forward onto the asphalt, but Grovyle was saved by the fact that Chris was holding on to him.

"Get inside, you mad pokemon." Chris said as Grovyle clamored back into the vehicle.

By the time Dusknoir recovered, Chris and Grovyle were already in Washington and out of gas.

Back to the Past

Grovyle had been at the Guild for fifteen years, and in that time, he had evolved, witnessed new life brought into the world by Chimecho (the identity of the father was a constant source of controversy), and had proven himself as a valuable member of the Guild.

His final day in the Guild, in his home universe, too, started like any other. However, at the morning assembly, Team Checkmate had an important announcement.

Val introduced, "As you may or may not know, my partner has been doing research into the time situation."

Some murmurs ran through the crowd. What's this about? Why's she telling us this?

"He's found some unsettling news, apparently." No one in the room except the news-bearer knew how grave it was.

Randy gulped. "Uh, you see, time, as you know, has for the most part stopped, and this has wreaked havoc on the fabric of space-time."

"Skip the science, you nerd," Val said.

"Ugh. Anyway, the space-time fabric is beginning to unravel, and this universe is going to go with it."

Suddenly, the room had a tense air to it. Almost everyone knew what this meant, and almost couldn't believe it. The tenseness in the air was broken only by the innocent voice of Chingling. "What does Mister Lucario mean, mama?"

"Hush, dear. Let him finish, okay?" Chimecho soothed.

"This universe is soon to be demolished. Decades of this time problem has worn the universe down, and it's beginning to show signs of failure. We may have years, but the effects should begin within hours."

Chatot, too old and tired to make a fit out of this, merely said, "But, there has to be something we can do..."

Wigglytuff answered for him. "No, no old friend. There's nothing we can do to save the universe."

The room was silent, and Chingling began to cry. Everyone else felt that they were too old for such things. Chimecho pulled her daughter close.

Randy said, "But, we can abandon ship."

Everyone was suddenly at attention. Never before had a single phrase ever gathered so much attention in such a short span of time.

Val said, "What are you talking about?"

The old pokemon opened his bag, and threw a few items onto the ground. They were foreign to the pokemon world. Old members of the Guild had seen them at some point or another. Newer members, however, like Chingling and Grovyle, had never seen them before.

"What are those?" Grovyle asked.

"These are items from another universe. One parallel to ours."

Everyone was wondering the same thing as Sunflora, "Parallel universe? What's that?"

"You'll know soon enough." He then began to list off the items. "One deck of cards, one Silver Eagle, one Zippo lighter, one car rear-view mirror, and a gun."

Chatot was almost at the point of laughing. "You mean those old toys of yours? They don't even-"

"Chatot, shut up for a moment please." Randy picked up the lighter and flipped it open. He spun the flint wheel, and a flame appeared. "These aren't toys."

Chatot was finally speechless.

Randy flipped the lighter closed and picked up the gun. "This is designed to kill."

Everyone in the room suddenly leaped back a few feet. Even Val became uncomfortable.

"One of the first effects of universal collapse is that wormholes begin to open up to other universes."

Val caught on very quickly, "Are you suggesting we-?"

"Yes. All the legendaries have known for ages, and once these portals open up, they will pour into the new world. What none of them knows is where they'll end up. I do."

Chatot gained his voice again, "And where's that?"

"The human world."

"Human world?"

"In fact, a hole's going to open up right about," he waited a few moments as he collected his items, "now."

Suddenly, a portal opened at the other end of the room. It was like a window into another world. In fact, it was.

Grovyle and Randy peeked through.

In it, they saw suburbia from one of the front lawns. The sun was shining and a car passed by, and to some in the dark room, it was almost unbelievable. There was row upon row of houses, all the same, but each somehow different, and a small human child was walking along the sidewalk in a cheerful mood. He turned and saw the pokemon looking at him, and he ran up to them.

"Wow! Pokemon!" the child exclaimed. His big brown eyes sparkled with curiosity, and Grovyle couldn't help but smile at his peppiness. "I know who you are! You're Grovyle! And him, he's a, uh, Lucario! But the eyes are wrong." He smiled. "That means you're special!"

Almost in an instant, everything became dark, and with the loss of the sun, the sparkle in the child's eyes disappeared.

"W-where did the sun go?"

Suddenly, the portal began to become unstable. It began to jump forward and backward in the human universe, and changed places many times. The pokemon briefly saw images. Soldiers ran across body-littered battlefields. A woman stood overlooking the collapsed skyline of New York City. A man swept a girl off her feet in the street and kissed her. Val inched closer to her partner at this image.

Finally, the portal decided on a fixed point. It was after the sun went out, and it was in an alley, hidden from view. They could see the same child from before, but this time, when he walked, he was occasionally shook by a sob.

"Mummy! Daddy! Where are you?" he yelled. The child was lost, clearly without direction. All he wanted was someone to hold him, and tell him it would be okay. Chimecho looked woefully at the boy, sympathizing with him as all mothers would with a lost child. Even if their species were nothing alike.

Walking past him was a man. The child looked up and asked the dark figure, "Did you see my mummy?"

The dark figure looked down at the child. But, his gaze wasn't affixed on the tear-laden face, but on the backpack behind it. Almost instantly, the man was attacking the child, beating him, yelling, "Give me it!"

The child cried and barely made out, "Help."

Grovyle could take it no longer. How could someone attack an innocent child? How could someone stand idly by when _this _was happening in front of him?

Grovyle jumped through the portal and went to the child. The moment he went through, the portal again changed position and Grovyle thanked his lucky stars he had his satchel with him. Grovyle saw what needed to be done, and applied every ounce of his being to do it.

"Get off of him!" Grovyle attacked the man with Leaf Blade and pulled out all the stops, until the man finally gave up and ran away, leaving the boy.

Grovyle was instantly on him, checking him over. He was no Chansey, but he knew a bit about health. The boy came to.

"Grovyle?" he said, "Are you the same Grovyle from yesterday?"

Grovyle said, "Yes." and nodded.

"I need to go to the elementary school for emergency evacuation, that's what the TV man said." The child sucked on a bleeding finger. "Do you know where that is?"

Grovyle, who was a little under the boy's height, but older said, "No, but I'm sure we can find it."

"I'm sorry, but I don't understand pokemon language," the boy said, "but I'm going to follow you. My name's Chris, by the way."

Back to the Present

Grovyle suddenly realized that that was the first time he met Chris. He absently wondered if the boy remembered him. Grovyle reflected that that might be why Chris was so friendly to Grovyle, either active remembering, or something deeper. Either way, even though the two couldn't speak with each other, they shared the bond of true friendship. They would stick together through thick and thin, and they were inseparable. Or, at least that's what they liked to think. Even the truest friends can be separated. But, somehow, fate is bound to pull them together again.


	17. The Secrets of Fogbound Lake

_Think I've done something wrong, or want to suggest additions? Perhaps cameos of a favorite OC are in order. PM or review._

Chapter 17: The Secrets of Fogbound Lake

Welcome to Chris's Head

We had been walking for a while around the tower's base, then Vulpix finally found something of interest.

"Hey, look! A fissure!"

Sure enough, there was an opening in the tower's base that seemed like an entrance.

I examined the scene for anything to be witty about. I failed to get any instant inspiration, so I just said, "That's a hell of a lot of steam, isn't it?"

"Yeah, are we ready to go for Fogbound Lake?" Vulpix seemed really excited.

"Hang on a minute, love." I instantly blushed. _Curse you, English accent!_

"Yeah, sure thing you hopeless dog."

"I just need to put away all these boxes. Honestly, you'd think they'd be slightly rarer." I had four in my bag. _Four!_ What was I supposed to do with these? They don't do _anything! _However, Vulpix insisted I held on to them. I complied, because I really don't wanna get on her bad side. Two words: flamethrowers and tails.

I went up to the conveniently placed Kangashkhan Rock and restocked.

"Right-o, I'm done. Do you have anything you'd like to get rid of?" I asked Vulpix.

"Actually..." She quickly ran up to the Rock and deposited the entire contents of her bag. There were at least sixteen boxes. _Six-f***ing-teen!_ She then took out an assortment of supplies. "Done!"

"We're ready to go, then." I led the way into the tower. Spirits were bubbly.

* * *

><p>In Another Place...<p>

Team Skull was still with Wigglytuff. They were staring him down. Wigglytuff merely stood there expectantly.

Zubat whined, "Chief, we've been staring the guy down for _ages!"_

Koffing seconded, "Yeah, come on, let's give him a double dose of the 'ol reliable."

Skuntank scolded, "Shut your yaps, I'm, uhh, examining the situation."

Wigglytuff smiled. "What are you doing, friends? You're all making such scary faces at me."

Skuntank was shocked, _Crap, this guy's tough!_

Wigglytuff then had a flash of brilliance. "Oh! We must be having a funny face contest! Let me try!" He then contorted his face into ridiculous expressions, all while sing-songing, "Blabba! Blapp! Bloop!"

Zubat shrunk back a little, _This is creepin' me out._

"Blargh! Blip! Boofa!"

Koffing was getting really uncomfortable, "Boss, let's just get this over with!"

Skuntank groaned, "Fine, we're out of options here." He shouted, "Hey! Wigglytuff!"

He stopped making the faces and asked, "Bwhatisitwhatisit- What is it?"

"You're going down! Take this! Koffing and I's special noxious gas combo!"

Wigglytuff was engulfed by the cloud of toxic gases.

What happened next was too quick to see, that, and it was covered by the noxious smoke.

* * *

><p>Welcome to Vulpix's Head<p>

We headed through Steam Cave mostly without difficulty. To Chris's luck and happiness, there were plenty of normal types. It was all fine, until we were triple-teamed by a Numel, a Slugma, and a Snubbull on the seventh floor.

"Oh, come now, that's hardly fair," said Chris. He then pointed at Snubull. "You're first." With that he rushed up to her and brought his hand up to her face but stopped short. While she flinched, he hit her ridiculously hard in the stomach. Feint. It was my turn with Slugma. I knew my fire attacks wouldn't do anything to help us, so I used Faint Attack. Both were dispatched in an incredible bout of luck. Then Numel, who we had almost forgot about, sneaked up behind me and hit me. Chris then did something that I still remember vividly.

"Hey, dickweed!" he said as he stuck his hand into his bag.

"Huh?" asked Numel dumbly.

"Eat this!" He the swung his arm around in an arc. He didn't hit Numel, but what he was holding did, in the face.

"Argh!" Numel was instantly KO'd, but the sheer force of the impact knocked two teeth out. That was my first experience with blood. It was coming from his mouth in a small stream, and the teeth that had come out were covered with the stuff.

Chris suddenly looked extremely worried. "Oh, crap. Uh..." He also seemed a little sick.

"Oh, Arceus..." I was almost on the verge of fainting. I didn't really like to see blood.

His eyes then glazed over. "We need to cauterize the wound," he said, almost like in a trance. He took out an iron spike that he used as throwing ammo.

"Heat this, please," he said in a monotone.

"Wait, what?" I asked. This didn't sound like him.

"Heat this, please," he said, again, exactly the same.

I complied and gave out a small flamethrower. Its end glowed red.

"Thank you." Same monotone.

He then took the spike, still red hot, and pressed it against the wounds on Numel.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked as I smelt burning flesh. That can't have been good for him.

"I accidentally hit an artery in the jaw. I'm sealing it off, thereby increasing his chances of survival."

"What are you saying?" Chris was beginning to scare me. He then blinked, and his eyes were no longer glazed. He dropped the spike to the floor with a clatter.

"W-what am I doing?" he apparently had no memory of what just happened. His snout twitched as he smelt the burnt flesh. "Oh. God, what have I done?"

Looking at Numel, the bleeding had stopped. But there was significant scarring. It looked bad, but it wasn't going to be the worst in my life. There was going to be something worse.

We put that behind us and proceeded to the ninth floor, where there was a Kangashkhan Rock.

"Oh, good, I think we need to store some stuff," said Chris. I found this odd because our bags were almost half empty. Sometimes, that crazy pup made no sense.

I was about to reply when there was a gigantic roar.

"GRROOOOOOOOOH!"

I asked in a panic, "What was that?"

Chris inched a little closer to me, but I was too scared to move. "Not...sure."

"GRROOOOOOOOH!"

We looked around for the source, but saw nothing. I began to think it was my imagination, but then Chris said, "So you heard it too, then."

"Yeah, what so you think that was?"

"I have a guess, I just pray that it's wrong."

"Why would you want it to be wrong?" I was a little younger than Chris claimed, then. Around twelve. He claimed to be fourteen, but he seemed younger than that, physically. Probably around eight. His mind however, seemed to definitely have the intelligence of the age he claimed, possibly more.

"Just, never mind."

"Come on, we need to get going," I said, "Let's restock our supplies."

"Right."

We found that we couldn't restock our supplies at this rock, much to our dismay, but after I confirmed that everything was fine, we set off. Or, at least that's what I thought. I had walked about twenty yards before I realized Chris wasn't keeping pace. This concerned me, because he usually insisted on running up ahead. I turned to see he hadn't moved an inch, and wore a pensive look. I went back to him.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

He then said quietly, "I've been keeping secrets from you."

"Huh?"

"I forgot to tell you, that I think I know this place. I've been feeling it ever since this morning at base camp."

"Really?" This was the first time he told me he knew anything, even vague, about his past, other than the craziness about being a former human.

"I might have went here, before I changed and had my memories mostly erased, possibly by Uxie." He sounded hopeful at this.

"Well, we better keep going and figure it out, right?" I just wanted him to keep focused, but I was interested about his past, too. His theory kind of made sense as well. Perhaps the legend was true? "I mean, maybe we can meet Uxie, and then get some answers for you!"

"Yeah, come on, I'm leading," he said. I was kind of relieved at that. I was feeling braver, but I only felt that way because of Chris. It's hard not to feel braver with someone to watch your back. Especially since he was so headstrong, that he literally dripped with either bravery, or stupidity. Probably both.

We passed through the rest of Steam Tower without much incident. The enemies were stronger, but still manageable. But when we reached what we later learned to be the floor right below the top, something happened. The air was tense, it had a feeling like danger, and it gave me the feeling of not wanting to be there. I desperately wanted to leave, but I knew that Chris really wanted answers, so I stuck it out.

"Are you feeling this?" he asked me, "The tenseness of the air?"

"Ye-" I started, but I was cut off.

"GROOOOOOH!" It was the roar from before, but it was _much _louder, and closer.

We jumped, but I jumped higher. I screamed, "There it is again!"

"Who or what was that?" he yelled at the world.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in Another Place<p>

Corphish was leading the Guild to the Groudon statue. When he made it to the statue, he said,

"Hey, hey hey! Here it is!"

Chatot hummed softly, "Yes, just like you said, there is a statue of Groudon here."

"But no one's here..." muttered Croagunk.

"Are you sure you saw the Guildmaster, Corphish?" asked Chatot.

"Sure I'm sure! Saw him on my way back to base camp. He was chasing after a perfect apple," Corphish insisted, "Gave him a wave and a shout, but he was too busy to even notice. I'll bet you that Team Checkmate's gone on ahead, with Wigglytuff following, don'tcha think?"

"Then why did you br-" Chatot was interrupted.

There was suddenly a tremor, which really affected Diglett.

"What was that?"

"The ground's- shaking?"

"GRRROOOOOOOOOOH!"

"What could've made that?"

"What an uproar!"

Corphish looked up, concerned for his friends. "Something's going down up there! We need to hurry!"

The Guild rushed away, but Diglett moved a little slower.

"Dad."

Dugtrio turned to face his son. "What is it?"

"Do you hear, like, moaning and groaning from over there?"

"It's probably nothing. Come on, we need to move."

"Okay!"

The pair sped off, away from Team Skull's moaning.

"Shit, what happened, Boss?" asked Zubat wearily.

"Yeah, he took our combo like it was nothing!" said a despondent Koffing.

"How did he strike back...?" asked Skunank one final time before slipping into unconsciousness along with his accomplices.

* * *

><p>Welcome to Chris's Head<p>

"GROOOH...GRROOOOOOOOOH" The roars were really going now, and was that, an earthquake? Possibly just structural sway, but, I was honestly a little unsettled.

"Mate, it's getting old, alright? Just show yourself already!" I just had to yell that, didn't I?

Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of us. He was probably ten times my size, at least twenty feet tall. He was big. His was standing up to face us, and his underbelly was all grey, like stone. At the fringes and on his arms and legs, I saw red, which probably went around to his back. There were claws on his hands, big ones too.

"GRROOOOOOOH!"

Vulpix had jumped and yelled, "Waah! What is that?

"Don't you see the resemblance?" I asked.

She apparently didn't want to, "But he exists?"

I yelled at the beast, "Groudon! That's what you're called isn't it? Why are you up here?"

"GRROOOH! GROOOOOOOOH!"

"Eep!" yelled my companion.

"Well, communication's not working," I offhandedly commented.

"YOU! HAVE YOU COME TO DESECRATE THIS PLACE?" Groudon asked us.

"Finally, words," I said, "and, no."

"DEPART, NOW!"

Vulpix finally found her voice, and said, "B-But we only wanted to go to Fogbound Lake."

"WHAT? FOGBOUND LAKE! I AM ITS GUARDIAN! I AM GROUDON!"

"Well, that's nice to know, Groudon. Could we have entry?" I asked. I think he was annoyed at me.

"YOU WILL NEVER LEAVE HERE ALIVE, INTRUDERS!"

"What?" Vulpix yelled.

I had one last thing to say before the fight began: "Crap."

* * *

><p>At the Entrance to Steam Tower<p>

Corphish had led the enitre Guild, sans Team Checkmate and Wigglytuff, to the entrance of Steam Tower.

He was proud to have led them all there, "Hey, hey, hey! There's the entrance!"

"Oh my gosh! We need to go! Quickly," exclaimed Sunflora. She ran inside, with most of the others following. Chatot and Corphish were lagging a little while the latter asked the former a question.

"Chatot, do you know about Groudon?"

"Of course I should! I'm only the head of intelligence for the Guild! Groudon is a legendary pokemon mentioned in mythology passed down through the generations"

"A legendary pokemon?"

"Yes. Legends say he rose the land up from the sea and created the continents."

"Hoo-boy! That sounds like a powerful pokemon! What would someone's chances be in a fight against Groudon?"

"Squawk! A _fight? _That's out of the question! To instigate a fight with Groudon, like all legendaries, would be suicide! Silly question. Silly question."

* * *

><p>Back to the Action-y Stuff<p>

Oh, you're back. You missed the start of the fight. Sorry, I'd recap, but-

"Holy shit!" Groudon had picked me up with one hand. "Let me go you- AH!" He then threw me against the wall of the chamber. It hurt madly and I landed up my head, upside-down against he wall.

"Chris!" Vulpix was running towards me, and didn't see Groudon charging up an attack.

"Look out!" I yelled as I righted myself.

"Wha-?" Vulpix was then hit with an Ancient Power attack. She was pile-driven into the ground by a half-ton of rocks. I pulled her up.

I said, "Do you think he's strong?"

As we dodged another Ancient Power attack, Vulpix sarcastically said, "No, he's a weakling. _OF COURSE HE'S STRONG YOU IDIOT!"_

We each did an attack. Vulpix used Faint Attack and I used Force Palm. Neither did much to damage him.

"Impressive- WHOA!" I was interrupted by yet another attack. Groudon quickly stepped back. "Constitution you have there!"

"Chris! Now's not the time!" yelled my partner as we attacked yet again with our strongest moves. Barely a scratch.

I then realized an underhanded way to beat him. "Vulpix! Distract him!" I yelled as I began to run around Groudon.

"What?" Vulpix was a little scared at the prospect. More attacks, another back-step.

"Just trust me!" I was running at full speed towards Groudon, and Vulpix was at his flank.

"Oh! Okay!" She was shaking, but complied. "Hey you big ugly monster! Over here!"

Groudon turned his back on me and charged an attack. _Perfect._

When he attacked, he stepped back, right into my position. I jumped up on to him, and brought out my favorite club.

"Eat Glock, bastard!" I used Force Palm on his head while holding the gun. It was much stronger that way, and it affected him much more than his armored lower sections.

He threw me off violently into Vulpix, but the damage was done. He was at the end of his line. His weak spot, like on everybody else, was the head.

"Let's finish him off!" I said as I go off of my partner.

"Right!" Vulpix and I used our most powerful attacks and felled Groudon.

"ARGH!" He fell backwards and sprawled out on the floor in front of us.

I was ecstatic at our victory. "Yahoo!"

As was Vulpix. "Yay! We beat him! But..."

Suddenly, Groudon began to glow.

I asked no one in particular, "Wait, what?"

Suddenly, the light became all-encompassing, and when it cleared, Groudon was gone.

Vulpix exclaimed, "Hey! He's gone!"

I couldn't resist: "You don't say."

There was then a voice. "That... wasn't Groudon."

"Sure fooled me," I said.

"That Groudon was merely an illusion I conjured."

Vulpix then noticed something. "Wait, who was that?"

"As I said earlier," began the voice, "I am the guardian of Fogbound Lake and cannot allow you passage."

"Damn shame, that," I said dejectedly.

"W-wait! Please! We don't want to cause any trouble! We only came to get information! That's all!" Vulpix exclaimed

"Information?" said the voice.

Vulpix continued, "Yes, just information!"

"Knowledge is power, you know," I added.

"Well, we are exploration team, so getting treasure would be nice too," admitted Vulpix, "but if it means trouble, we don't want any! It'd be amazing just to be able to say we made it this far! Please believe me!"

"Hmm... I guess I believe you." Suddenly there was a flash and suddenly a floating figure appeared. It appeared to be a blue being wearing a yellow jeweled headdress, and it had a long-ish twin tail extending behind it. But that was just how it looked.

"Allow me to welcome you, then. I am Uxie, the guardian of Fogbound Lake."

"Pardon?" asked Vulpix, "did you say Uxie?"

"Yes, I truly am Uxie. I guard something very special..."

I remembered a half remembered dream within a dream. _...make sure the secret of Fogbound Lake never makes it out, Uxie._

"...that lies in Fogbound Lake. No, let me escort you to Fogbound Lake. This way, please."

Uxie floated off, and after a confirming, "Why not?" glance from Vulpix, we followed Uxie.

* * *

><p>When we went out, it was nighttime.<p>

"When did it become dark?" I asked.

"It may be somewhat difficult to see at night, but... Behold! Fogbound Lake!" Uxie then floated aside as we saw one of the most breath-taking scenes ever.

"Wow!"

Above the lake were floating orbs of light in all colors. The lake was pristine, and perfectly reflected each orb and the full moon. In the center of the lake was a dome of what appeared to be pure energy. It slowly changed size like the chest of a breathing individual, like the little globes of light above us. To accent all this the orbs each seemed to be carried be a Volbeat or Illumise.

"That is simply brilliant," I said.

Vulpix continued, "Who would've guessed a lake would've been all the way up here?"

Uxie said, "Water is constantly welling up to create the pressure required for this wonder. Now look at the glowing center of the lake."

"I see it," said Vulpix, "There's something shining from beneath the waves."

"Step forward and look closer."

We did, and saw something surprising. A little gear was floating above a submerged pedestal. The pedestal was at the edge of a depression at the bottom of the lake.

"You've got to be kidding me," I said.

"Do you know what that is?" asked Vulpix.

"I would be surprised if you did, young Riolu," said Uxie.

"I'd prefer it if you didn't call me that, but, I believe that's a, Time Gear?"

"What? Are you sure? Is it really?" exclaimed Vulpix.

Uxie said, "Yes, it is. I guard the Time Gear, it is my sole reason here."

"So that's why you were so reluctant to let us in. Worried we were gonna _really _screw this up," I said.

"Yes. The incident in Treeshroud Forest served to set all guardians of Time Gears on high alert."

"Wow, so you were worried we'd steal it?"

"Of course. Many have come, and I've managed to scare most of them off with that Groudon specter you fought."

I decided to say something, "So, that Groudon imitation was," I squeezed my arm a little to help get my point across, "convincing. How'd you do it?"

"I used my psychic powers to conjure it up. Some have defeated him and passed on to this point, and I've invariably had to wipe their memories."

Vulpix then spoke up on my behalf. "Oh! Memory wipes! Almost forgot! Uxie, can we ask you another question?"

"Go ahead."

"Well, have you ever seen a human come this way?"

"A human?" Uxie was surprised. "No, why would you ask such a question? I'm not even completely certain of the existence of humans!"

_Not entirely certain of their existence?_ "Well, I was asking it for my friend."

"Riolu?"

"He hates it when pokemon call him that. He calls himself Chris. He says he used to be human and got his memory wiped and was turned into a pokemon."

"What? Is he mentally sound?"

I was a little put off by the reaction that got. "Hey! I'm sane! And a former human! As for the memory wipe, it wasn't a very good one, details keep dripping through. Not important ones, though. It sucks!"

Uxie thought a moment. "I'm sorry, but I can't help you on your memory. I only remove memories of Fogbound Lake, and when I erase a memory, it stays gone. Also, I don't know of anyone who can change humans into pokemon!"

Vulpix sighed. "Oh, that's too bad."

"Well, dammit, thought I might finally get some straight answers for once," I said, "Thanks but no thanks, I guess.

Before anyone could say anything else, another voice called up behind us.

"Wow! That's amazing!"

We turned to see Wigglytuff walking into the scene.

"What? When did- What?" I stammered.

"Now, friend, look at that! A Time Gear! Too bad! We can't take a Time Gear!" exclaimed Wigglytuff as he pointed out the Time Gear.

Vulpix said, "We know, Uxie told us."

"Oh," Wigglytuff said, "Uxie?" He ran up to Uxie and said, "Hi, friend!"

Uxie wasn't sure what to make of it. "Who is this?"

"Our Guildmaster, a little quirky, but very good at what he does." I said breathlessly.

Suddenly, the rest of the Guild came up behind Wigglytuff, all out of breath.

"Hey, h-huff-hey, hey! We made it!" Corphish puffed.

"Finally, you all caught up! It was getting lonely up here!" I greeted as I regained my composure. "Say hi to Uxie."

"Uxie?" They all exclaimed.

"Oh, never mind, we have time for greetings later! Look at that, everyone! It's spouting!" said Wigglytuff. He gestured at the view.

There was a collective, "Huh?" followed by a collective gasp.

"Squawk..."

"Oh my gosh..."

"Wow."

The geyser had jumped up to twice it's original height and the lights were going crazy. It was almost as spectacular in size as the tower itself! It's made what we saw earlier look drab.

Uxie proudly said, "Yes, the geyser does erupt from time to time. The water comes up from the spring, and illumination comes from the Time Gear below. With all the pokemon glowing on the spectacle, it is the embodiment of beauty."

"Well, it definitely is something," I said, "The best in show award would definitely be shipped here. As for the treasure..." I trailed off, unsure how to finish.

Wigglytuff, however, did. "The treasure must be the view of Fogbound Lake."

"Are you seeing it, Chris? It's magical. Promise me you won't forget," Vulpix said to me.

I pulled her close, like she was my little sister, or maybe even something more, and whispered, "I promise on my soul, that I will never forget this. As long as you don't forget _this._" I then did something neither of us expected. I kissed her. It wasn't a real kiss, just a peck on the forehead, but she was still stunned. Won't be forgetting that any time soon.

I stood up, and continued, "I'm glad we came here. Even if my questions weren't answered."

* * *

><p><em>Maybe those dreams weren't just fantasies, because they had <em>this place _correct. Every detail. Then, those other places, New York City, Paxico, Los Angeles. Could they all be real?_

* * *

><p>I was pulled out of my thoughts by Wigglytuff. "So sorry to have disturbed you, friend! Had a fantastic time! Friend!"<p>

"I won't erase your memories, I've deemed you worthy of my trust," said Uxie.

Vulpix stammered, "R-really? Oh, thank you!"

Uxie continued, "I must ask that you never speak a word of this place, however."

"Oh we can do that, friend! Must protect the Time Gears! We swear in the name of this Guild! Wigglytuff's Guild!"

"Please keep to your word."

"Gotcha! Let's get going! Chatot?"

"Yes sir! Alright everyone, we're going back to the Guild!"

"Yay!"

I looked back at the geyser, and got in line behind Vulpix. But, I was called out by someone.

"Riolu, err, Chris. Could I have a word?" Uxie called out for me.

I followed, but when Vulpix made to follow, Uxie added, "Alone."

Vulpix and I shared a glance, and she walked off.

"What is it?" I asked.

Uxie said, "Now, I've looked through your head, and I've found that you have some, curios in your bag. May I see them?"

I put my special objects on the floor.

Uxie asked, "What are they and what do they do?"

I sat down, and picked them up one at a time, and showed each of them in turn.

"These are playing cards, for playing card games." I felt the sensation of someone, looking through my head, and continued when it stopped. "This is a Silver Eagle, face value one dollar, three nines in purity for the silver." Uxie nodded when he understood the terminology. "This, is a lighter, it lights fires." I spun the zippo's flint wheel, and a jumpy 2-inch flame came out. We were both surprised at it's effectiveness. I flipped it shut.

As I picked up the last, Uxie shuddered when he realized what it was meant to do. "This, is a handgun, designed to kill."

I put all the items away, and Uxie said, "Thank you, for sharing your knowledge."

* * *

><p>I ran as fast as I could to catch up with the Guild. When I reached them at base camp, they had just finished packing up the camping equipment.<p>

"You're late, Riolu!" scolded Chatot.

I started, "Two things, not my name, and-"

Chatot interrupted, "For your lateness, you get to carry the equipment."

"What?"

Chatot handed me an over-sized bag and said, "Alright then, let's move out!"

Vulpix merely smirked. I muttered, "Ah, crap," and slung the bag over my shoulder. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it still weighed a lot.

_I hate you, Chatot._


	18. The Last Night

Chapter 18: The Last Night

Welcome to Third Person

That night, sleep came suddenly.

Grovyle was walking with Chris one second, and the next, his comrade was on the ground.

"Hey! Chris!" Grovyle was worried. His partner had randomly fainted.

His partner stirred slightly. "Come on, it's, like, bedtime."

Grovyle kicked him. "Wake up!"

Chris was up quickly. "Ow! Hey! I, uh..." He thought a moment. "Wait, can we stop to, err, rest?"

Grovyle sighed. He nodded, "Fine."

"Sweet." Chris laid down in the ditch at the side of the road. "I'm gonna stay here, hidden." He dozed off.

Grovyle was in awe. "How can he sleep at a time like this?" _Worse than a Snorlax._

Grovyle decided he may as well try, too. He laid down a short distance from Chris and dozed off too.

Sleep for the pair was odd. In their dreams, it constantly felt as if someone was watching them.

* * *

><p>Chris woke up first. When he opened his eyes, someone, or something, pink was staring into his eyes.<p>

Chris said, "Wha-," quickly followed by, "Ouch!" He had tried to get up, but hit his head on the thing that was apparently floating above his head.

The thing giggled. It seemed unhurt by the conceived collision. It was around a foot tall, had a long pink tail, and had two disproportionately large feet.

"Who are you?"

It giggled and said something while a pink bubble became visible then dissolved. It said, "Don't you know who I am? I'm Mew, silly!" The boy got the message, but as a string of "Mew"s.

Oblivious as ever, he said to Mew, "So, I guess you're Mew. Did I hit that bubble thing? That is a really neat trick, that, you know?"

Mew was happy to be complimented and did a back-flip in the air. "Ah, you're so sweet!"

Grovyle woke up and saw Chris nervously laughing as Mew did aerial acrobatics around his head.

Grovyle, shocked, exclaimed, "Holy- Mew!"

"Oh you're up, sleepy-head," Mew said cheerily as she flew up to Grovyle.

Chris asked, "Mew, where are you heading?" He then noticed Grovyle. "Hey, you're up, Grovyle. Mind greeting our guest? I don't think I'll be very useful, I can't understand a word."

"Is he serious?" Mew asked Grovyle.

"Unfortunately, yes."

"How do you deal with him?"

"He's stupid, but I think it's kind of funny how he's so desperately clueless."

They both looked at Chris. He was looking elsewhere, but when he noticed, he said, "Hey, are you done yet? I mean, it's fine if you're not, but, I hate not knowing what you're talking about, you know? For all I know you could be insulting me or something."

Grovyle turned back to Mew, "See?"

Mew laughed. "He is really funny when he's clueless," she agreed.

Chris spoke up, "What are you doing here?"

"I got bored and came to have fun with you two," said Mew.

He still had that blank look. "Right, no clue what you said. I'll just sit over here, and, well, be clueless." He sat down a short distance away from Mew and Grovyle and looked off to where they dumped the convertible. To where Dusknoir was probably following them.

"Wow, he's surprisingly upbeat at not being able to understand us," said Mew.

Grovyle responded, "Yes, he is. He has a good outlook on life, mostly."

"Hey, uh, we may want to get moving soon. You might want to hurry up," said Chris. When he wasn't tired he was itching to do something, or keep moving. Grovyle was a little (a lot) calmer, but thought that his partner had a good mentality for the world they lived in.

"Yeah, we probably should, he's right."

"Why?"

"Because we're working to a dea-"

Mew interrupted Grovyle, "Hang on a minute, I've detected a psychic signal." She concentrated a second, then smiled. "It's Mewtwo!"

"Eh?"

"I've been waiting to cause trouble for him again! Need to go!" She flew off, brushing Chris's hair.

"Whoa! Where's she off to in such a hurry?" he asked.

Grovyle merely stared on.

"Well, better keep moving," said his partner, "Let's go."

Grovyle got at Chris's side, and the pair walked off.

* * *

><p>As they were walking, a pick-up truck came up behind them.<p>

Chris said, "That's rare, if he's out to kill us, jump to the side at the last second, got it?"

"Yes," said Grovyle, "Let us hope it doesn't come to that."

"Come on," said Chris as he nudged Grovyle to the shoulder.

The truck drove on by and kept on going towards their destination.

"Maybe we could've hitchhiked," said Chris.

Suddenly, the truck stopped, and accelerated in reverse.

"Grovyle, what are you thinking, good or bad sign?"

"Don't know."

The truck was barreling towards the pair at thirty miles an hour, in the wrong direction.

"On three, we move," said Chris.

The truck was about a football field off.

"One."

The truck had closed half of the distance.

"Two."

The truck was almost on top of them.

"Three!"

The pair jumped in opposite directions and dodged the truck by inches. They watched as the truck stopped a few yards downrange, and a burly man stepped out of the passenger side.

He said, "Now, y'all better come easily, or it'll get messy."

The driver's door opened, and another man stepped out, holding a length of cord.

"Real messy."

Chris and Grovyle were sitting twenty feet apart as the men walked their way. They inched back together, and Chris said, "Look, it's Tweedledee and Tweedledum."

Grovyle looked over confusedly. "Excuse me, what?"

Chris called over, "So, what are two guys like you doing out this far?"

"We're collectin' a bounty."

"Someone's offered up a great prize to bring in a boy and a Grovyle."

"And you think we're the pair?"

"We don't know for sure,"

"But we'll take you two in,"

"Just to be safe."

Chris wise-cracked, "Are you two twins or something? You're finishing each other's sentences."

"Rrgh, this kid's pissin' me off."

The four were all in the same place now. Everyone was standing off.

"Keep 'em alive, the bounty said alive."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Chris, why haven't we ran yet?" asked Grovyle, even though he knew his ally wouldn't comprehend.

"Hang on a minute, Grovyle."

Suddenly, the two men burst forward with speed that was almost unnatural for their sizes. In perfect sync, they wrapped the rope around Chris, but barely managed to keep Grovyle in. They dumped them in the bed. Grovyle struggled, but Chris seemed to be almost, relaxed?

"What are you _doing?"_ spat Grovyle, "We need to escape."

Chris muttered, "Calm down, I'll explain later."

The men laughed.

"If you think you're gonna escape, you're sadly mistaken."

"Yeah, let's go."

The men got back in the cab, and started driving. In the direction they were traveling, too.

Chris then said, "We're getting a free ride, Grovyle."

Grovyle yelled, "In captivity! Do you think that we're going to be okay at the end of this ride? Do you think-?"

Chris huffed. "Stop squirming, and listen. Do you think you could Leaf Blade these ropes? Quietly?"

Grovyle suddenly realized he could. He did. The ropes came loose.

"Good, don't move too quickly. I want them to still think we're bound together. They may be stupid, but I don't think they're blind."

Chris kept the ropes connected and shuffled over to the rear window. He peered up at it to check visibility.

"The idiots! They painted it over! They can't see a thing!"

He let go of the ropes and lowered the tailgate.

"All right, Grovyle, if they turn around this thing, we jump. If not, we jump in fifteen minutes. Got it?"

"Got it."

* * *

><p>After a minute, a conversation took place in the cab.<p>

"Hey, Phil."

"Terry?"

"Isn't the guy who gave out that bounty, in the other direction?"

Phil swore and began to turn the truck around.

* * *

><p>In the bed, Chris was excited.<p>

He said, "Grovyle, jump, now!"

They jumped out of the truck, and watched as it sped away from the and Deer Lake.

"Any bets on how long it'll take for them to notice we're missing?" joked Chris.

"I'm hoping never," amended Grovyle.

"Oh, well. I'm feeling like running away very quickly before they do. Are you in?"

"Definitely."

They started.

Two figures were running a long a dusty highway, at what appeared to be nighttime. They didn't know it, but this run would be their last for a long time.

The larger of the two came across a hatchback, and so began another story.

* * *

><p>Bonus: The Professor's Professor<p>

The Professor, or Gary, as his friends called him, was very worried. His call with Chris three days ago had been the last time he had heard from him.

Valerie, being a Ninetails, and therefore psychic, picked up on this and said, "Don't worry, the phone's battery probably ran out. He's fine."

"Yes, you're right. I just can't stop worrying about him."

"Don't. I can tell you he'll be fine. I met his future self."

"I'm sorry, I just can't help it. He reminds me of an old friend of mine."

"Really? Tell me about this old friend of yours."

The Professor sighed. "Ah, it was years ago. Forty-seven, in fact, when I saw him last."

Valerie jumped on this opportunity to keep the old man's mind off of things. "Tell me about when you last saw him."

Gary had a nostalgic grin on his face. "We were twenty years old..."

* * *

><p>Forty Seven Years Ago, In Another World<p>

Gary was a fine young man, dashing, attractive, but he had put all that behind him years ago.

His adventures were a life away from what he did now.

He was hunched over a laptop, typing away at some files in an office, when a familiar voice came from behind him.

"Wow, I would have never have guessed. Exciting, dashing, Gary Oak, doing desk-work."

Gary turned around, and smiled.

"And I guessed you haven't changed a bit, have you, Ashy-boy?"

Ash playfully hit Gary over the head. "I always told you not to call me that. Nine years later, you still call me it?"

Gary doffed Ash's cap for him. "Always. You still have Pikachu around?"

"Yeah, I would never do anything or go anywhere without him."

"Where is he?"

"Well..."

Pikachu jumped out from behind the door.

"Pika!"

"Hey! How are you?" Gary asked as Pikachu ran up onto his desk.

"Pika-pi, pika chu!"_  
><em>

"Great to see you, too."

"Hey, Pikachu, come on," said Ash.

"So Ash, what are you doing in Kanto? Finally asking that Misty girl out?"

Ash blushed. "Uh..."

"Knew it! Brock told me about you two. After you dumped him in Unova, he gossiped for ages. Wouldn't stop sending me messages about you being on the phone constantly while you were with him, talking to a certain someone," Gary taunted.

"Shut up."

"So, what's going on?" asked Gary as he leaned back in his chair, "You don't usually come back home to socialize. In fact, this is your first time home in, how many years?"

"Two. Came home a while back to apply for my new ID, remember?"

"Oh yeah. We were all kinda worried you'd become a resident of some other region, instead of Kanto."

"Yeah, neither Misty nor my mom would _ever _let me live that one down. So, Professor Oak told me that you were heading off to Sinnoh again."

"Oh, yeah," Gary, if it were even possible, leaned back farther. "I'm heading over to do some follow-up research on Mount Coronet. Dimensional rifts, that sort of stuff. And don't forget, I'm almost a professor myself."

"Oh, would you like me to call you sir?" said Ash with a humourous amount of acid.

"Nah, going for another league title any time soon?"

"No, I'm kind of hoping to open a Pokemon Gym. Or I could always take up that Battle Frontier thing. They do have me on reserve."

"Well Ash, we've got our lives ahead of us. You're bound to figure it out sometime."

"Oh, so you have your life planned out?"

"Somewhat, need to go. See ya!"

"Alright!"

Gary ran out of his office and picked up his traveling bags. In them were his necessities and research equipment. But there was one more thing to be done.

He walked into the same lab that he had entered ten years ago, where his grandfather had taken permanent residence, and where he had gotten his first pokemon.

"Yo, Gramps!"

"Over here, Gary! I've got something to show you!"

Samuel Oak was perched over an interesting looking device. Gary went over.

"What is it?"

"A replication of a Time Flower. It allows you to see events of the past."

"Wow."

"Yes, wow. I've almost got another poem. It goes-"

A bubbling sound suddenly entered the room.

Samuel Oak was out of the room almost instantly.

"Ah! My ramen!"

* * *

><p>In a Different Lab, In a Different Time<p>

Gary smiled at the memory. "I never did hear that poetry."

"What happened next, Professor?" asked Val. She genuinely wanted to know what happens next.

Suddenly, a third voice entered the room.

"Gary Oak. Never knew that it was you, but, damn, it's been a long time. Too long, much too long."

The two looked over to see a Lucario with brown eyes standing in the doorway.

"Hello. Don't say, a word Val, not a word," said he.

"Why not?" asked Val.

"Spoilers," he teased, "I'll tell you later."


	19. Dusknoir the Explorer

_Oh, right after I finished this, I realized it's the longest chapter I've written so far. Just shy of eight-thousand words. _Wow_.  
><em>

_Right, I got a second review, hoo-shaw! Anyways, it's from LyraGlaceonVulpix, who currently has an interesting PMD story in the making. Betrayal. First chapter is already out, and another is probably in the making. If you're reading this, LyraGlaceonVulpix, then you'd better expand on that. It has the most amazing potential! Here's the synopsis:_

_"What if your partner in PMD2 was Dusknoir's partner this entire time? Riolu is now Dusknoir's partner. Together, Vulpix and Grovyle must escape the future and stop Dusknoir..."_

_It's an interesting concept, and you can find a link to her user page, and indirectly that story, on the review page._

_Which reminds me... Would you kindly?  
><em>

Chapter 19: Dusknoir the Explorer

Welcome to Chris's Head

When we returned to the Guild, an entire day had passed, and it was sunset again. Everybody filed to their rooms without much conversation, and I dumped the equipment I had been carrying in front of Wigglytuff's chamber.

"Ah, Chatot can handle this."

When I made my way to our room, night had fallen and the stars had come out. Vulpix had also fallen asleep.

On the way back the the Guild, I saw the stars, but the pace kept me from being able to get a nice, long look at them. However, with the glimpses I was able to catch, I saw that there were way more than I remembered. Before I even touched my bed, I stuck my head out our window and looked up.

"Holy-."

The sky was alight with dozens of thousands of stars. Little pinpricks of light sparkled as they made a river across the sky.

I thought to myself, _This is amazing, I wonder if I can get a better look._

Above my window, were outcroppings in the cliff face that looked like they could be grabbed and used as a ladder.

"How hard could it be?"

I dumped my stuff on my bed, and readjusted my headband. I then opened the window, and climbed out. When my feet were at the window, I kicked it shut. The climb was shockingly easy, but I guess it would be if you only weighed forty pounds and had good strength. Being a pokemon isn't all bad, I guess. When I was at least halfway up, I made the mistake of looking down.

"Oh, _shit!"_

I was at least forty feet above the bottom of the cliff the Guild was built on. I suddenly had some vertigo.

"Come on, Christopher, pull yourself together, just ten more feet to the roof."

I climbed the rest of the way to the roof and laid down on top of Wigglytuff's likeness's head. I looked up, and enjoyed the stars.

The stars made a veritable sea in the sky of light, but where I was sitting, the light wasn't mine. It was of the sky. It was beautiful.

And it was worth it.

* * *

><p>Welcome to Vulpix's Head<p>

The next morning, when Loudred woke me up, he didn't do it the conventional way. He woke me up with a question.

"HEY! WHERE'S YOUR BOYFRIEND?"

If my eardrums weren't ringing, I would have shouted back at Loudred, but I looked to my left and saw-

"He's not here," I muttered, to myself, unbelieving.

Suddenly Chris peeked into the room.

"Shit, you're up already," he said, embarrassed. He went through the doorway. "How long were you here, Loudred?"

I said, "He was only here a second, Chris. Where were you? I thought you'd ran away."

He seemed offended by the thought. "Me? Run away? You clearly don't know me."

"WHAT WERE YOU DOING OUT THERE?" Loudred yelled.

Chris shrunk back a little, because Loudred was actually yelling, and I mean yelling relative to his normal volume. Chris expained, "Argh, you're loud. I climbed up to the roof in the middle of the night to stargaze, but I must've dozed off up there because next thing I know, it's sunrise and I need to get back inside. Sorry."

Loudred merely left the room after he saw we were awake.

Chris sighed. "Well, let's head to the morning assembly."

We went off with everyone else, said our cheers, and got ready to head off to do whatever it was that needed doing, but then,

"WHAT? YOU CAN'T IDENTIFY THE FOOTPRINT?"

"Whozzawhat?" Chris stupidly asked as he ran over to Loudred.

"What do you MEAN you DON'T KNOW?"

"I'm trying to tell you... I don't know," came up Diglett's now quiet voice.

"What's happening?" asked Chatot.

"We can't identify a visitor's footprint," said Loudred He then pointed at Chris and me. "If THEY were on duty, I wouldn't be that surprised-"

Chris blurted out, "Jerk."

Loudred continued, "-but Diglett knows his footprints. It's rare for him to not know a footprint."

"But what about Chris? Diglett didn't know his footprint..." I defended.

"Huh? What's that? You want to meet our Guildmaster? You're_ Dusknoir_? Oh, so sorry! I had no idea!"

"Hm? What's that, Diglett?"

"It's Dusknoir! He wants to meet Guildmaster Wigglytuff!"

"Dusknoir? _The _Dusknoir? World famous explorer Dusknoir?" exclaimed Chatot.

* * *

><p>Welcome to Chris's Head<p>

Everyone was present while Wigglytuff greeted Dusknoir. He seemed, oddly familiar. If anything, he was an imposing figure. He was at least three times my current height; he was around seven feet tall while I was a little over two. His large body floated, and across his torso was a zigzag pattern under two eye-like dots, giving the illusion of a face. He looked like someone you didn't want to mess with.

"It's an honor to welcome you to our Guild, Dusknoir," greeted Wigglytuff.

"No, the honor is all mine," said Dusknoir, "Wigglytuff's Guild is famous, after all."

I turned to Sunflora and asked, "Hey, Sunflora, who is that guy?" That garnered a lot of attention towards myself.

Loudred suddenly whispered (even though it was still a normal sounding volume to me, this was how he whispered), "You can't be serious. Everybody knows who Dusknoir is! He's world-famous!"

"Oh, don't be like that, Loudred," said Sunflora in my defense, "He was an overnight star. He only recently took the world by storm."

Vulpix then piped up, "Yeah, in the Rescue Team Federation's most recent newsletter there was an article on him. It said he only joined the Federation's Exploration division a couple of weeks ago, but he's already of the highest rank. He goes solo on all his missions, too!"

I said, "Sounds like he's confident, and skilled, too."

Vulpix said, "Yeah, he's soooo cool! This is the first time he's been here. He's very knowledgeable, too. He knows everything about everything."

Dusknoir said to Wigglytuff, "I've heard that you've recently mounted an expedition to find Fogbound Lake. How did it go?"

Wigglytuff then acted, "Oh, it was a complete failure, learned nothing."

Dusknoir continued, "Oh, too bad. Well, I'll be staying in Treasure Town for a while, so I was wondering if I could visit here often for the latest news."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all, friend! Exploration teams are always welcome here!" Wiglytuff then turned to everyone. "Everyone, this is Dusknoir! He's very famous, so be mindful around him. He's is extremely knowledgeable, so I'm pretty sure you all want to ask him questions!"

Dusknoir said, "I doubt my knowledge is as amazing as you tell it, but there's no need to be afraid to ask me any questions. I'll answer them to the best of my ability."

I watched on as Chatot said, "Now, I don't want anyone embarrassing the Guild by asking for autographs or anything of the sort."

"Oh no, if that's what everybody wants, I'd be happy to oblige," said Dusknoir.

"I guess he's a schmoozer, too," I muttered.

Corphish slyly suggested, "What, are you jealous?"

I retorted, "Shut up."

He scuttled off, chuckling. Chatot came over and gave us the usual, _this is your assignment _drab after all was said and done.

I went up with Vulpix to the job boards and got all the jobs for Waterfall Cave.

"Right, let's head out!"

* * *

><p>It was easy sailing, mostly. This let me talk with Vulpix.<p>

"So, how long did you say this Dusknoir guy was in the business?" I asked.

"A little over two weeks ago, why?"

"How long ago did you meet me?"

"A little over two weeks ago," Vulpix said as she understood what I was getting at. "Oh! Are you saying-"

"Maybe I knew this guy. He did have an odd vibe though."

"What do you mean?"

"I just, feel things from people, err, pokemon sometimes."

"Oh, that's probably aura, Riolu and Lucario are very sensitive to that, you know."

"Oh, right. Lucario told me about that."

"Yeah."

We cleared the dungeon and completed our jobs. We jumped up a rank, too. Silver Rank became ours and Vulpix got, guess what? Yet another Treasure Bag. Bigger this time, almost as big as my messenger bag. A challenger approaches!

* * *

><p>That Night, In Another Place<p>

Skuntank was scheming with his minions again.

Koffing muttered, "Wigglytuff sure put us in our place that last expedition."

Zubat complained, "My wings are still sore from that fight."

Skuntank moaned, "But we can't attack Wigglytuff, he's too damn strong!"

Koffing then said, "How about we take it out on some wimps, like that Team Checkmate?"

Skuntank nodded appreciatively. "Not bad, Koffing, not bad at all. Chaw-haw-haw."

* * *

><p>The Next Morning...<p>

"UP AND AT 'EM IT'S MORNING!"

That day, after morning cheers, Chatot had a different assignment for us than usual.

"A different assignment?"

"Ah, yes. I'm hoping you two can run an errand for me."

I asked, "What kind of errand?"

"Oh, it's very simple, simply ask the Keckleon brothers if they ever plan on stocking Perfect Apples."

"That's it?" I asked, "No strings attached, or any look out, you need to go to some shithole bull-crap? Just, ask a few questions?"

"Yes. I'm a little put off by your attitude though." Chatot seemed to be formulating a punishment for me, so I decided to get moving. Vulpix followed me out.

"Why do you have to be like that?" she asked me.

I shrugged, "I dunno. Guess I'm just on edge, or something."

We went to Keckleon Market, and Purple greeted us. Well, he more greeted Vulpix, we didn't really know each other much, but she and he apparently went a ways back. She probably went shopping there when she was smaller or something.

"Oh! Hello, Vulpix! I see you've brought your friend, Chris, was it?" I nodded a "hello" to confirm the fact. "How can I help you two today?"

She said, "Chatot told us to ask you if you were planning on ever stocking Perfect Apples in your shop."

Green popped out from the back carrying a small crate and said, "Perfect Apples? No, sorry, we neither have nor plan on having Perfect Apples added to our line of merchandise. It's too costly to be profitable."

I agreed with his logic, "Makes sense, the only place I know of where you can get them is miles off, and the trip isn't exactly a Sunday stroll in the park, is it?"

Vulpix then continued, "So, no perfect apples."

"Nope," they confirmed.

I sighed. "Well, since we've come out here, do you have any Oran Berries?"

Green said, "I have some in the back, let me go get them."

While we were waiting on our order, Dusknoir came up in line behind us, and Vulpix struck up a conversation.

"Oh, hello, Dusknoir, sir," she said.

"Why hello," he said, "You're from the Guild aren't you?"

"Right you are," I said, "Team Checkmate, ready for duty!"

Vulpix said, "It's a pleasure to see you out here!"

"So, what are you doing?" I asked.

"I was hoping for a conversation."

"Hoping to expand your knowledge and make some new friends?"

"Speaking of which," interrupted Purple, "Hello, Azurill and Marill!"

"Oh!" said Azurill, "Hello Misters Keckleon." They had apparently ran up behind us without us noticing. They seemed winded.

"And Team Checkmate, too," said Marill.

"How are you?" asked Green.

"We're fine, thank you," said Marill.

"We heard that our missing item popped up on the beach!" exclaimed an excited Azurill.

"Which item?" I asked.

Marill answered, "A Water Float."

"A Water Float," said Dusknoir, "now _that _is quite the rarity."

"Yeah," said Azurill, "which is why we're rushing to the beach right now!" He turned to Marill. "Come on! Let's go, Big Brother!"

"Okay! See you!" They ran off.

"Well." said Green, "We've been buying and selling for years, but we've never heard of a Water Float."

"A Water Float is an item for Azurill that can only be obtained through a long and hard trading process," explained Dusknoir, "It's supposed to be exceedingly rare."

"Wow, to sell such an item. It may never happen," Purple romantically said.

"Yeah, I think we need to head back to the Guild now," I said.

Vulpix just sat there dumbly. I gave her a nudge and we started heading back to the Guild.

* * *

><p>Welcome to Vulpix's Head<p>

When we made it back, Chatot was instantly on us.

"So, how did it go?" he asked.

Chris answered, "Negative, no plans on stocking Perfect Apples in the near future at Keckleon Market."

I gave him a sideways stare. _Since when did you get so official?_

Chatot sighed. "Oh, that's a shame... It's such a chore to get enough Perfect Apples to keep the larder stocked."

"Hey, maybe we could get some-" I started.

Chatot interrupted in a sudden panic, "Squawk! No! I will not trust you two with something that important anytime soon, what happened is still traumatic to think about. Squawk!"

"You and me both, mate," Chris said.

"Just go and do the jobs on the bulletin boards.," Chatot commanded with a wave of a wing.

"Okay."

"Sure thing."

We went off to the boards and collected all the jobs at Apple Woods, which Chris couldn't help but comment about.

* * *

><p>As we approached the official entrance to Apple Woods, Chris said, "This is the ultimate irony."<p>

"Sorry?"

"We're heading here anyway, Chatot said we weren't to collect any of those _damn-" _His aura started going again. Apparently, he wasn't traumatized, he was angered by that event.

"Uh, Chris..."

"Sorry. Anyway, we're heading here and not even collecting any Perfect Apples." He chuckled a little.

"I guess it is kind of funny..."

"Yeah, anyway, Floor Eight, right?"

I looked at our job list, "Yes, we have an outlaw on eight and a rescue on eleven."

"Right then. Heading off!"

* * *

><p>After we took out Granbull on eight and rescued Butterfree on eleven, Chris made a decision I didn't expect.<p>

"Let's keep going."

I thought that since we were done we could just go. "What?"

"I said, let's keep going." He was pretty adamant about this.

"But, why?"

"I want to keep going today."

I sighed. I really disagreed with him, but he was _technically_ the leader, after all. Even if we did have equal share, for some reason, he exercised much more control over the team than I.

"But we're going to be late," I said in a last ditch effort to dissuade him.

"Just one more floor, please?" he begged.

"Ugh, fine."

He smiled and dragged me up the stairs to the next floor.

"Come on, let's see how quickly we can blaze this thing!"

"Pardon?" I had no idea what he was talking about.

"Speed-run!" He seemed to be in a certain daze. We went into a room, and I felt the ground vibrate.

"Chris!" I was dead tired of being dragged like a dead weight.

He stopped dragging me and looked around. "Oh, shit."

"What?"

"What happened to the exit?"

I looked around, too. It had vanished.

"Wha-!" I was interrupted by a ton of pokemon dropping out the tree canopies above our heads.

"This is some deep shit we've got ourselves into..."

"No, really?" I asked sarcastically as we backed into a corner.

Chris whispered, "How many do you think there are?"

"Too many," I said truthfully.

"Right, Vulpix, I want you to use Roar on the big guy," said Chris. He gestured at an Ursaring.

"Why?"

"Trust me, I think it's best if he's as far away from us as possible."

_That makes sense! _"Okay! I'll do it!"

I used roar on Ursaring and he was blown back. He knocked down two smaller pokemon on his way to the wall.

"Great!" Chris said as he threw an empty bottle to the side and wiped his mouth. "My turn!"

He jumped over to a Kadabra and used his favorite move, Bite. It seemed stronger, and it annihilated Kadabra and KO'd him instantly. I then thought back to the bottle.

"Did you just take Ginseng?"

"Yeah- WHOA!" he dodged an attack from a Beedrill and countered with Quick Attack. "Finally figured out that it powers the next move you use permanently. I powered up Bite," he explained.

"Neat, can I have some?" I asked. I wanted some power, too.

"Uh, give me a second." He ran up to me, dodging a pair of attacks and pulled a bottle out of my bag. "Pretty sure this is Ginseng. Take it!"

I consumed it, then used Flamethrower. It was amazing. It covered a huge area and held amazing power. It completely destroyed all the bug- and grass-types, so that all that was left was Exeggutor. Chris used Bite, and we were done.

The exit stairs appeared in the room and two gummis appeared in front of us. Red and orange.

"Sweet, our favorites," Chris observed.

We each picked up a gummi and made our way out of Apple Woods.

* * *

><p>Welcome to Chris's Head<p>

We barely got back to the Guild in time to see who we rescued/arrested, let alone get to dinner on time. But we somehow managed it.

Anyway, we had sat down just when Chatot said, "Hold on, I have an announcement, everyone, for before we start dinner."

Before anyone could even respond with their discontent (I could literally feel it in the room) I blurted, "Is it important?"

"Very," would be the answer. Chatot retorted, "Yes, it is important. Ahem, another Time Gear was stolen today."

_"What?"_

I softly said, "I guess that does constitute important, doesn't it?"

"ANOTHER one got stolen?"

"It couldn't be, could it?" asked Vulpix.

"What couldn't be?"

She then spoke louder, "It couldn't be the one at Fogbound Lake, could it?"

Chatot said, "Thankfully enough, no, but you all must still remember to _never _speak of that place. To anyone!"

The mere thought got a minor uproar.

"Never!"

"Wouldn't dare," I said.

Loudred said, "I'd never! I don't have a big mouth!"

"Uh, Loudred, you're _ALL _mouth," I muttered.

"Quiet! All of you!" commanded Chatot. "Sorry to keep you waiting, now let's eat!"

A collective cheer came up as everyone dug in.

* * *

><p>After dinner, we retired to bed. I opened the window, stuck my head out, and looked up.<p>

The sky was just as good looking as last night. However, my partner was still up. She laughed at the dumb grin the had spread across my face.

"What are you looking at, Chris?"

"The sky, it's full of stars," I explained.

"So? It's always like that."

"But it's real pretty, innit?"

"I guess..." She clearly wasn't convinced.

"Well, I'm going to the roof to stargaze." I swung outside of the window.

Vulpix was surprised at this, ran up to the window, which I was standing in now, and asked, "C-Chris, what are you doing?"

"Climbing, wanna come?" I offered.

"N-no! Come down or... I-I'll tell Chatot!"

That was a legit threat. "Ugh, fine." I dropped down to the floor. "Guess it's bedtime, right?"

"Come on, we need to be ready for tomorrow," said Vulpix as she laid down on her bed.

"Got it," I said. I laid on my bed and pretended to get to sleep.

I waited for Vulpix's breathing to become more rhythmic, waited some more, then asked, "Are you still up, Val?" Calling her by a different name usually got her attention.

More rhythmic breathing.

"I'll take that as a no. Great!" I whispered.

I got up and sneaked over to the window. I slung my bag onto by shoulder. I climbed out. Then I climbed up.

When I reached the roof, I laid on my side and looked at the horizon as the moon skirted it.

"Yep, still worth it."

I then fell asleep. God, I'm stupid.

* * *

><p>At Fogbound Lake<p>

He had breezed through the apparition prepared for him, and its creator had another fight to deal with. Uxie had fallen to his assailant, his level was too damn high.

Uxie was barely holding on. He regarded the figure in front of him. "I knew I shouldn't have let them go. I should've erased their memories when I the chance!"

The green figure with the twin-leaf tails and leafy wrists sighed. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, Uxie, but I've known about this place for a while. If you had wiped the memories of whoever it is you're talking about, it would have done nothing to help." He then smiled. "But that aside, the Time Gear, I finally have the third! Not many more to go."

* * *

><p>On the Roof of Wigglytuff Guild<p>

When I woke up again, it was because I was slowly sliding off the building's smooth top, and I very nearly fell off the cliff.

I cursed under my breath, regained my grip, then went back to the top, and I saw two familiar faces approaching the Guild.

Marill and Azurill were walking towards the Guild. I was surprised to see them at this time. I was the middle of the night, and the stars' positions told me that only a few hours had passed since I had drifted off. I leaned over the top of the roof to get a better look, but then I slipped forward and very nearly face-planted the ground in front of the Guild. Instead, I dropped off the roof, but at least I landed on my feet. Or, paws now, I guess.

Azurill was surprised, "Huh? Were you on the roof?"

"Uh," I said, "Yeah?"

Marill took a more serious tone, "Were you supposed to be up there?"

I countered, "Are you supposed to be out here so early?"

Marill looked at anything but my eyes, and said, "Uh, yes. We're allowed."

"You are a terrible liar. Tell me the truth."

"How'd you-?"

"You avoided my eyes. Now tell me what's really going on."

"Okay, thing is, we need some help from you and Vulpix, and we just couldn't wait for morning." Marill wasn't lying this time.

"What's the problem?"

Azurill took out a piece of paper and handed it to me. "Read this!"

"Okay..." I said as I took it and read it. "Right, let's see..." I skimmed it, and my eyes stopped on a few key phrases, which I read out loud. "Water Float... now in our possession... deepest part of Amp Plains... bet you can't reach it... go cry to your big-shot friends, chaw-haw-haw?" I gave them a sideways look. "I wonder who that is?" I said sarcastically as I thought about the pokemon who topped the list of sentient beings I hated most at the time.

"It's a ransom note," said Marill.

I said, "I gathered that much. This thing has 'trap' written all over. Anyone could see that. Were you thinking of heading there yourselves?"

"That Water Float is very valuable to us," said Marill.

"So we have no choice but to go!" exclaimed Azurill.

Marill turned to his brother and said, "But, I don't want to take you anywhere scary like that."

I then added, "Not to mention your mum probably wouldn't like that either."

"I snuck out, and went there myself, but there were so many electric types-!" said Marill.

I nodded, "I can see how that would be a problem. You, being a water-type, are in a proper mess there."

"I kept getting KO'd!"

"Ah, Marill, mate. You," I sighed. "Are going to wait a while. I'm heading out to get that Water Float."

Azurill perked up "Really?"

Marill was shocked, "Are you sure? You said it was a trap!"

I smiled. "Don't worry, you've got one half of the greatest exploration team of all time, don't you? I think I can handle a trap laid out by a few idiots."

Azurill laughed, but Marill realized what I implied and asked, "You're not waking up Vulpix?"

I said, "Let her sleep. If I'm not back by morning, which I personally think is unlikely, then tell her where to look if she asks."

I then turned to leave, and said, "I'll see you after Amp Plains, little buddies!" I then ran to Amp Plains.

* * *

><p>Upon arrival I walked right in. I don't think I met anyone on my way. Must've all been asleep. It was rather lonely without Vulpix at my side. I kept thinking I made a mistake leaving her behind, but I pushed all these thoughts aside.<em> Need to keep focused<em>, I kept telling myself. I made it to a midway point after ten or so floors.

"Wow, that was surprisingly easy," I said, "Maybe I can rest a bit..."

Guess what happened when I sat down against a little wall at the midpoint's edge.

I gave a high-pitched yawn. _Damn, my voice is bloody high._

* * *

><p>Welcome to Vulpix's Head<p>

I woke up to Loudred yelling, "IF YOUR BOYFRIEND IS MISSING FOR ONE MORE MORNING, I SWEAR I'LL-"

"What?" I asked drowsily. I looked over to see that Chris's bed was empty. That surprised me, but not as much it should have. "Huh? Where'd he go?"

"HE BETTER SHOW UP FOR CHEERS, OR HE'LL BE SORRY!" Loudred stormed out of the room.

I sighed. How was I supposed to face up to Chatot about _this? _He was gonna be branded a deserter, and me, I didn't even want to think by that point.

I dragged myself to cheers. Chatot eyed everyone, did a head count, then another, and finally asked me:

"Vulpix, where's Riolu?"

* * *

><p>At Amp Plains, Chris rolled over in his sleep and muttered, "My name isn't Riolu, dammit."<p>

* * *

><p>"I don't know,' I said meekly.<p>

"Oh, well. We have NO time for lateness, on to cheers."

We said our cheers and went off to do our business, and Chatot came over to me, and softly said, "Vulpix, did he run away?"

"No!" I yelled, "He would never-!"

"Then your assignment today is to find him."

* * *

><p>I headed into town and asked around, "Did you see my partner, Chris? He's a Riolu."<p>

No one had any information until I made it over to Keckleon Market a little before noon.

Marill and Azurill were talking with the Keckleon brothers about their Water Float.

I asked, "Hey, did you see Chris? I can't find him."

Azurill said, "Yeah! Yeah! He was heading to Amp Plains to collect our Water Float!"

"What? When? Why is it there?"

Marill said, "We met him last night, he jumped off the Guild's roof, and we showed him this."

He handed me a ransom note for the Water Float. "A ransom note? Who did this? Why would they do such a thing?"

"Quite," said Dusknoir, who had sneaked up behind me. "I honestly can't see why anyone would stoop so low as to do this to two children, as young as these two, as well!"

"He probably fell asleep halfway there. I'm going to see if I can catch up to him at Amp Plains," I said. I really couldn't trust him by himself, could I? He's too crazy. He jumped off a roof!

Dusknoir asked in a concerned tone, "Did you say Amp Plains?"

Azurill and I said, "Yes."

Dusknoir then said to himself, "But Amp Plains, at this time of year...!" He then turned to me. "Vulpix! Your partner is in terrible danger, we need to get to him, quickly!" He pulled me into motion and I began running behind him.

I called up to him, "What's wrong? Why is he in danger?"

Dusknoir called back, "No time to explain! Just follow me!"

* * *

><p>Welcome to Chris's Head<p>

I barely noticed I had fallen asleep, but I woke up to the sound of running.

There were two distant sets of footfalls, almost drained out by my rhythmic breathing, but getting louder. I didn't feel like waking up, so didn't open my eyes, but then I heard a voice cry out when the running stopped.

"Leave me alone!" yelled a young female voice.

I cracked open my eyes a bit and saw two figures. One was bipedal, green, reminiscent of a gecko, and had its back facing me. I recognized it as a Treecko. The other was quadruped, mostly black but partly blue, had a tail ending in a four-pointed star, and was poised to attack. He was a Luxray.

He yelled, "Eat Thunderbolt, bitch!" as he unleashed a wicked bolt of electricity. I saw it arc almost in slow motion towards the Treecko, who at the last second dodged. I then watched as it arced past her and went straight towards me.

Almost too late I realized where it was heading. I rolled out of the way as it hit the rock I was leaning against, sending a shower of pebbles and sparks down.

"Hey! Watch where you're pointing that, asshole!"

He turned to me and said, "What did you say you little punk?" He went up to me, and suddenly, I realized his size in relation to mine. Twice my height.

I, being a bloody idiot who loves putting gasoline on the fire, so to speak, said, "I said watch your _fucking _fire, dickwad."

"Ooh, you're gonna get it..." he said, when he suddenly got hit from behind by a barrage of seeds.

He turned around, and began bearing down on the Treecko.

She yelped, "Ah!" as I ran up behind him and hit him savagely across the back of the neck with my Glock. It began to become electrically charged so I quickly grounded it, literally.

He laughed and turned around to face me, and was surprised when I was still moving fine. "How come you're not paralyzed? I unleashed a backwards shock on you!"

I pistol-whipped him again and again, making sure I let the Glock lose its charge before going again.

Eventually, he fainted.

"Hah, finally," I said as I sat down, "That was getting a little tiring." I called over to the Treecko, "You okay?"

"Yeah," she said as she looked at me.

"My name's Chris, you?"

"Flora. Thanks for saving me."

"Hey, you've got one-half of the greatest exploration team of all time right here. It wasn't that much, was it?"

"Yes it was! He was trying to kill me!"

"Well, lucky I showed up, right?"

Flora thought a moment, then said, "Did you say 'exploration team?'"

"Yes."

"Can I join?"

"Sure, I guess." I then thought about Vulpix. She always said no... "It'll be hard to convince my partner though."

"Who's your partner?"

"Vulpix. She's a little timid about letting other pokemon on the team, but if you and I can complete this one dungeon, she might change her mind."

"Really? That's it?"

"Just about."

"Wonderful! I'm in!"

I walked over to Flora and shook her hand. "Welcome, unofficially, to Team Checkmate."

I then walked in the direction I was heading. "I was heading this way, if you want to, follow me."

She did.

* * *

><p>As we walked along, she asked me, "What's that metal thing in your hand?"<p>

I suddenly realized I had been holding my Glock the entire time.

"It's a Glock 18." My mouth then began to run with that, "Chambered in 9x19mm, selective fire, 17-round detachable box mag, and tritium night sights to boot." I blinked.

Flora merely said disbelievingly, "Yeah, I see you're not going to tell me."

"I don't feel like arguing right now, so I won't defend my point. Tell me a little about yourself."

She smiled a little. "I used to live in Apple Woods with my older brother, but I ran away."

"Why?"

"He told me to! He said," Flora then did an imitation of a boys voice, "'Flora, you better get on, li'l sis. You're nice and strong and you can go give the world hell!' So I thought I'd go and do some adventuring, and I pissed off that Luxray." She sighed

"That's why you make or join a team first. I don't know what I'd be doing without Vulpix."

"Oh, what's your story?"

I gulped. _What story do I have to my name? _I stopped walking. "A little over two weeks ago, I woke up on the beach to see Vulpix's face."

"Why are you starting here? Where are you from?"

"I don't know. When I woke up on that beach, the only memories in my head were my name and one fact."

"What fact?"

I turned and looked her in the eye. "I used to be human."

She laughed a little, but stopped when she saw I wasn't too. "You're serious?"

I nodded. "This bag washed up with me, and I started Team Checkmate with Vulpix."

"That's it?"

"Well my eyes are a different color from other Riolu and Lucario, but I think that's all that's important."

Flora nodded and said, "You're crazy, you know that, right?"

"That's what everyone else at Wigglytuff Guild says whenever I tell them that."

"You're a member?"

"Yes."

Flora then said, "Cool."

We kept walking.

* * *

><p>After nine or so floors, Flora and I made it to the deepest part of Amp Plains. It turns out the place ended in a very intimidating clearing. Thunder and lightning struck near us.<p>

"Nice place," I said.

Flora said, "I don't like it. I don't like this place at all. Can we go now?"

I responded, "Not until we find the Water Float, which is what I came here for, Flora. I think I forgot to tell you."

She looked in the distance. "Could that be it, there?"

I looked over. There was I nice little circlet with an aqua gem inlaid in it. "I'd be willing to bet money it is. Let's go get-"

Suddenly, all went dark.

"WHY HAVE YOU COME HERE?"

"Well, I was just checking to see if anyone dropped off a Water Float anywhere-"

"LIES!"

Flora went a little closer to me. "Chris, I think these guys mean business."

"This is no lie! We just want to get passage to the other end of this clearing, take that Water Float thingy, and get the hell out of here!"

"YOU SHALL NOT PASS!"

"Well hello to you too, Gandalf. Just let us pass!"

"I AM MANECTRIC, LEADER OF THESE ELECTRIKE!"

Suddenly, the lights came back on.

"Ah!" yelled Flora.

I yelled, "Shit!"

Manectric and eight Electrike had surrounded us.

"How in hell did you manage _that?_" I asked.

"Prepare to fight!" yelled Manectric.

I suddenly thought of something. _I have the steadfast ability, don't I?_

"Flora, put this on. Don't ask why." I handed her a Power Scarf. I then ate an X-Eye seed.

"Chris! Why'd you do that?"

I don't know why, but I think my pupils dilated. Either way, everything got a little strange at that point. Turns out, that X-Eye seeds are like hallucinogens. It made everything a little out of whack, but I recognized which one of the crazy impossibilities was Flora by the item I gave her, which for some reason took the form of a pineapple. The trade-off was that I was twice as fast.

"Double time!"

I hit one impossibility with a Force Palm with a Glock, and another one. Both were defeated in one hit. Then they all attacked me. But they had two less on their forces.

I kept doing this until all had fallen or retreated, and just as good too, because it had worn off.

When I came to my senses, I saw eight Electricke who had retreated behind one Manectric standing a distance away, looking very angry.

"You dare to make claims on _our_ territory? You will pay!"

"Aw, crap!"

"This isn't good..."

He then attacked us with a wicked blast, a blinding one too.

Just as I thought we were completely screwed, something unexpected happened.

"Stop!"

Dusknoir appeared between us and Manectric, and Vulpix was right behind him.

"Stop, right now!" commanded Dusknoir.

"You! Who are you?" demanded Manectric.

"I am the explorer Dusknoir, coming in defense of these explorers!"

While he made a great speech, Vulpix whispered, "Chris, are you okay? What were you thinking? Who's she?"

"Uh, this is Flora. Can she join the team? I promised her she could, and she _can_ be trusted."

Flora, when she saw Vulpix wasn't convinced, said, "Vulpix, can I please join? I mean, you need someone who isn't crazy on your team right? Because, no matter what you say, that Riolu, is _mental!"_

Vulpix laughed. "Okay, you can join."

"Hey! I'm not crazy, am I?"

We then turned our attention to negotiations between Dusknoir and Manectric.

Manectric said, "You have five minutes, then we shall be back. I expect you will be gone by then."

Dusknoir said, "Thank you," as the Manectric and Electrike tribe walked off.

Vulpix sighed. "Whew. Thanks for helping my friends, Dusknoir, sir."

"Yeah, who were those guys?" I asked.

"They are the proud Manectric Tribe, a nomadic group who camp out here every year around this time. They were attacked a while ago, so they attack any trespassers for fear of being stricken."

Flora said, "So that's why they weren't listening to us!"

"Oh! Dusknoir, I have a question," I said.

"Yes? What is it?"

I pointed over to the circlet. "Would that, by any chance, be a Water Float?"

"There's no mistaking it, that is a Water Float."

"Sweet," I said as I grabbed it, "but who planted it here?"

"I see you already figured out that it was planted here deliberately. Good observation. Now," Dusknoir turned around and said, "show yourselves you sneaking scoundrels!"Skuntank, Koffing, and Zubat came out from behind a rock.

"Chaw-haw-haw, I see you've found us out!" said Skuntank.

"What was the point? Why did you do it?" I asked.

"We were going to wait for you to get demolished..." said Koffing.

"...and clean up later!" finished Zubat.

Vulpix was shocked. "You'd risk killing him?"

Dusknoir said, "Shall we end this?"

Skunktank said,"Nah, the odds are clearly not in our favor, four on three? I don't think so! Let's skedaddle, boys!"

They ran off. Quickly, too.

"Bloody cowards," I said.

Dusknoir commented, "They are certainly skilled at... skedaddling. It's not worth giving chase. We'd better return this Water Float now."

* * *

><p>We met Azurill and Marill back in Treasure Town.<p>

"Wow, you got our Water Float back. Thanks!" aid Azurill.

Marill said, "You just keep helping us, you guys. First you save Azurill, and now this!"

"Hey, give Dusknoir over here some credit, he's probably saved my life," said I.

Azurill and Marill bid Dusknoir their thanks.

"It was no trouble, I'm happy for you two."

The Keckleon brothers, who we always happened to congregate in front of, said, "Yes, that Team Checkmate, they're really good stuff."

Purple said, "Yeah! They pinpointed Azurill's location in an instant!"

Vulpix sighed, "It would be incredible if it actually happen that way, but it actually was a little different. You see, my partner saw the whole thing in a dream."

"Vision, actually. I was technically still awake," I said. _When you say dream, it suddenly sounds a little stupid._

"Pardon? A vision? What do you mean, exactly, by that?" Dusknoir asked.

"Oh! The great Dusknoir might know! You see, my partner occasionally sees things when he touches someone or something. Events that happened in the past or future," said Vulpix.

Flora said, "I think he's crazy. I'm heading to the Cafe if anyone needs me."

She went off.

"See you, Flora!"

Dusknoir looked surprised. "That's the Dimensional Scream. Occasionally, pieces of information fall through the time-space continuum, and pokemon with this gift can pick them up."

I said, "Dusknoir, mind if I take you somewhere important to me?"

"Not at all."

I took Dusknoir and Vulpix to the beach where I woke up.

"I woke up here two weeks ago with amnesia."

"What?"

Vulpix continued for me, "Yes, he only knew two things, his name, and that he used to be human."

"Used to be _human? _A human with the Dimensional Scream... What was that name?"

"My name is Christopher. Call me Chris."

He seemed a little shocked. _"Chris?"_

"You wouldn't happen to have known that name, would you?" asked Vulpix.

Dusknoir turned away. "No, I don't." His voice sounded off, and I could swear I saw a twitch of a smile. _What are you hiding, Dusknoir?_

I pushed all these thoughts aside for another time, and let Vulpix lead the way back to the Guild.

As I laid down into bed, I forgot all about what I saw in Dusknoir's expression. There was too much in the immediate future for me to care about a little half-expression.

I think that was a terrible mistake.


	20. The Travelers

_Well, if I could break the pattern of these story and pre-story chapters, I would do it here. I just, couldn't think of anything to fill this up with throughout the writing process here. Oh, almost forgot. Feel free to praise or rage at my writing in the form of a review.  
><em>

Chapter 20: The Travelers

"HOLD ON!"

Grovyle gripped the boy's hand tightly, and could feel Chris's grip loosening.

"I can't- I-I-I'm slipping!"

Grovyle desperately held on, but his friend needed to hold on too, and couldn't deliver.

"W-W-W-Whoa! Waaaaaaaah!"

Grovyle was helpless to do anything as he and Chris split apart in the vortex. The last Grovyle saw of him was his eyes closing, as if falling asleep. Or fainting.

Suddenly, Grovyle was ejected from the vortex and into Hell.

Hell that night was rather wet.

"Fft!" was the only sound Grovyle could make as he was pushed under the waves over and over again. Each second he was battling to stay afloat, and alive.

_Damn salt water!_ _Damn it, damn it, damn it!_

Grovyle tried to make an effort to push for shore, he could let it all go to waste, not after all that had happened! Not after Chris-

_Don't think about that! Come on, Grovyle, shore! Make it! GO!_

Grovyle swam through the water and eventually, was gracefully given shore. He went out on to it on all fours and collapsed. The sound of his breathing and his heart were all he could hear. He was spent, completely.

Until the lightning.

The lightning goaded him into action. He quickly looked around and summed up his position, condition, and possessions.

_Where am I?_

Grovyle was on a beach. The waves were coming up against this beach, and he turned to face them. To his right was a path leading up a hill, which was also on the coast, resulting in a cliff. To his right was a sheer cliff, in which, was a cave. He entered the cave and was granted some solace from the elements.

_Good. I can't stay here for long, though. Am I injured? Let's see. Two arms, two legs, twin-leaf tail, my wrist leaves are fine, eyesight's working... I'm fine. Now, my things._

Grovyle looked through his satchel. He dumped its contents on the floor and put them back in as he saw fit.

First, was a bag of chips. Opened, and eaten. Bag, buried.

Next, Grovyle found the picture of him and Chris. He sighed. Would he ever see him again? Was he even-

_Don't think of that..._

Finally, Grovyle found two pieces of paper. He knew what was on the first, a list of the places that Chris and the Professor had found out were home to the Time Gears. Useful.

The second was a little, different. It was a letter labeled, "DON'T OPEN UNTIL THE STORM," and Grovyle didn't know when he had gotten it. He opened it and read it. It read:

_"Grovyle, I planted this in your bag because I was worried the loss of your friend might dishearten you... DON'T ASK HOW I KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN! Just listen, or read, I guess. He will be fine. He lives through the night, don't worry. Just, well, don't expect him to be of much help until you meet again._

_-The Brown-eyed Lucario  
><em>

_P.S. Some are not who they appear to be._

_P.S.S. Kindly get a move on, if you've read this letter, then you've clearly spent too much time in one place."_

Grovyle was confused, but took this as a little boost. That Randy, he was _always _right about things, but he was a cryptic one.

"What do you mean by, 'Some are not who they appear to be?'" Grovyle asked no one in particular as he read the P.S.

Grovyle then laughed as he finished. "Arceus! Randy, you..."

He sighed. That was all he had left. Everything else had been washed away. Then there was that hellish storm. It made travel impossible.

"It's going to be a while."

Grovyle waited for the storm to abate. While he did, his mind wondered. He replayed the event over and over in his mind.

His emotions: Guilt. Loss. Anger.

He realized a while ago he couldn't change it, but that didn't keep him from wishing he could.

His partner, he had to admit, as useless as a rock, but at least he provided comedic relief, or at least someone to (halfway) talk to. And some of his suggestions weren't bad. But, Chris was in his element in urban environments, and that was all that Grovyle knew he was useful for.

The storm began to weaken, and Grovyle took it like a runner takes the starting gun.

He bolted.

He ran over the wet ground and eventually reached Treasure Town.

As he passed through the square, even in the dark, he could see its color, its life. He saw all the things that he saw broken, in top condition. He was joyous.

As he left Treasure Town for his first Time Gear, he looked up and saw the stars.

_Chris would have loved this, _thought Grovyle.

Treeshroud Forest was going to be a long journey. Around five days. Plenty of time to think.

And being stuck alone with a guilty mind is hell.

But, near the end of the night, Grovyle found a hill, and he could see all around for miles.

It turned out that he was near the sea, because he was blessed to see one of the most beautiful things one can ever hope to see.

He saw a sunrise over the ocean. Orange, red, and yellow spread across the sky. It was reflected in the now gentle waves of the ocean, and as the sun rose higher, the ocean and sky turned a gentle blue.

Grovyle cried. Not because he was sad, but because it was the single most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

It was his own personal slice of heaven.

* * *

><p>Back to the Future<p>

"So, you are capable of telepathy, as well," observed Gary.

"Well, clearly. May as well take notes, Gary," said the Lucario.

"How did you know my name?"

"Take a guess."

"Telepathy?"

"Close enough. I've left some companions of mine at Mr. and Mrs. Cobbs' place. May want to find something to do with them."

The pair were sitting in Professor Gary Oak's lab. They were in a living room area, and Gary was holding a cup of coffee. Valerie was somewhere off in the back of the lab, making a meal.

Anyways, back to the conversation at hand.

"So, you said that you had something to tell me, uh, Randy, was it?" said Gary.

"I'm thinking you'd like to know what state the rest of the world is in, right?" asked Randy.

"I'm curious, I haven't heard any news on Europe or Asia for a few months now."

"Well, Professor, if you want to know about it, just listen..."

* * *

><p>One Month Ago<p>

"Just GO! The portal isn't going to be stable much longer!"

The Ninetails jumped through the portal, leaving the Lucario alone in the Guild.

"Now it's my turn."

He made to jump, but the portal suddenly shifted. When he flew through, he was separated from everyone else at the Guild. He missed their portal.

"Damn!"

* * *

><p>He looked around, and found he was in an abandoned subway station. He went over to a map.<p>

Its title read: _London Underground:__ Hendon Central Station_

There was graffiti as well, which read: _NO FOOD_ /_ RUNNING LOW ON WATER_ /_ NO TEA_ /_ HEADING TO KING'S CROSS_ /_ -ELLIE_

"Bugger, just when I thought I found her, she keeps moving," came a voice from behind him. He turned around to see a man with a towel slung over his shoulder. His clothing was ragged, his bag looked empty, but this man knew where his towel was. "Well, hello there, and you are?"

_"Uh, I'd rather not say,"_ responded the pokemon. It came out more like, "O, luc riolu ariluc."

"Err, right. English, please?" The man clearly didn't understand.

The pokemon sighed, "Lucario."

The man frowned, "Is that what you are? Well, I don't think humans can understand pokemon, normally. I'm Arthur."

The Lucario smiled as he realized who he reminded him of. _H2G2?_

"Okay, would you like to come with me? I'm aiming to get out of here and to the US, they're supposed to be doing better than the U.K. They haven't dropped into anarchy yet."

The Lucario focused his thoughts on Arthur. _"I guess they would be, with all that grain in reserve."_

"Did you just speak? English?"

The confused pokemon spoke aloud, _"Did I?" _Pokespeak came out.

"Guess not. So, the offer still stands, do you want to come?"

He nodded.

"Good. Let's get to Kings Cross."

* * *

><p>The new pair walked along the tracks until they reached King's Cross.<p>

There was a girl sitting on an abandoned bench, resting. She looked up and went wide-eyed.

"Arthur?"

"Ellie?"

The man and woman ran to each other and hugged.

"I thought you I lost you," said the woman.

"I thought so, too. I mean, for you of course. I thought I lost you-"

"Shut up," said Ellie, "You were always terrible at conversation." She looked over and saw the pokemon. "Arthur, who's that pokemon?"

"Lucario."

"Hmm, is he dangerous?"

"No, he's been following me a while, but he seems friendly."

"Okay. Arthur, how are we going to get out of the city? The ports are closed and they destroyed the Channel Tunnel!"

"I, don't know."

The Lucario then decided to try telepathy. He concentrated his thoughts on the pair. _"I__s the airport open?"_

"No, I don't-" started Arthur, then he realized, "You did it again!"

_"I can use telepathy to communicate. Moving on, we need to get to an airport."_

"Lucario, I don't know how to fly a plane, or if there's even planes there," said Arthur.

_"It sounds crazy, but we need to get to the airport."_

"But it'll be under strict guard, how will we get in?"

_"A few guards will be no problem, my aura abilities will get us in easily. By the way, call me Chris."_

"Okay, Chris. Ellie, do you want to go to the airport?"

"It's all we can do by this point, let's go."

* * *

><p>The three walked for hours to reach an airfield. It was surrounded by a fence with one entry point, a gate, and as the three approached, a man wearing a military outfit pointed an assault rifle at them.<p>

"Halt!" he yelled.

They stopped.

"This airfield is occupied by the Royal Air Force; civilians are not permitted, and especially not pokemon!"

_"Fine, let's go," _said Chris.

The soldier faltered a little, but said nothing. But Chris knew he was shocked at the "talking" pokemon.

The three walked away, and once they were a good distance away, Chris grabbed the two human adults and pulled their heads down to his level.

_"Listen up, you two need to stick to me like glue when we're in the airfield, all right? No wandering off."_

"You can't possibly-" started Arthur.

_"It's not going to be too hard, there's only ten of them."_

"How do you know?" asked Ellie.

_"Aura. The power of aura is very useful, now follow me closely."_

* * *

><p>He led the two down to a building at the edge of the airfield. He broke a hole into the fence with a well placed aura sphere and pushed them through.<p>

He looked around and saw floodlights. He then used aura and re-counted 10 signatures. four were in a building, three were doing rounds, two were at a large cargo airplane, and one was, err, letting nature do it's thing.

_"This way."_

Chris led the couple through the dark areas, avoiding sentries, and led them to a generator.

_"I'm going to disable the lights, when I do, you won't be able to see. Don't let go of my paw, Arthur, and Ellie, don't let go of his hand."_

Then an aura sphere exploded the generator. The floodlights and every other wired light lost power and turned off. Chris ran to the cargo plane and ran into it with Ellie and Arthur. By extreme luck, no guards saw them, and Chris was able to start the engines before he was detected.

"Hey! Who's there?" called up a soldier.

The engines were spooling up, and Chris checked the fuel tanks. Full. _Lucky us._ The two outermost engines were already ready to go, and the other two were still spooling. _"Fuck it, we're going, no time!" _He put the engines on full throttle, and the plane began slowly rolling

The soldiers were getting suspicious, and when the plane began moving, they began to panic. But there was nothing they could do.

The plane's third engine spooled and began giving power, then came the forth. The plane was halfway down the runway. Just when they ran out of runway, the plane flew. It barely cleared the fence, but they were flying. The forth engine finally spooled up and they sped away from England, and were heading for America.

* * *

><p>"Where did you learn to fly?" asked Ellie.<p>

"Flight Simulator and books."

"I didn't know pokemon could read English," said Arthur.

"Most can't, but I used to be human, you know, a very long time ago."

"What?" they yelled.

"Long story, but I traveled through time, multiple times. You wouldn't believe the things I've seen."

"Try us."

"Maybe later. I know a place we can head to, in Kansas. I used to study there when I was human, there's a couple who run a hardware store. They'll take good care of you."

"What about you?"

"I, I need to talk to the Professor."

* * *

><p>Back to Grovyle<p>

Grovyle was quickly approaching the first Time Gear at Treeshroud Forest. Grovyle double-checked his paper, and noticed a little note next to each location.

Next to Treeshroud, it read: _New York __City._

Grovyle thought a moment, then realized, Chris had written down the human-world equivalents to these locations. Probably so he could make funny about it.

Grovyle sighed, which he seemed to be doing a lot lately.

In the past few days, a storm managed to continue to follow his path perfectly. Grovyle didn't know this, but it was a typhoon, and its speed and course was the exact velocity needed to keep it right on top of him.

Grovyle was getting tired of the rain. It had been almost constant. But there was no time for that now, because he was almost certain he was near the Time Gear by now.

He tried asking some of the locals, and they merely told him to stay away from the shrine.

Grovyle made a guess that this was where the Gear was.

He was right.

* * *

><p>He was running as fast as possible, because he accidentally intruded on a pack of angry forest pokemon. To put it simply, he wanted to get as far away from that lake as possible.<p>

But, as he ran along the path, he found something.

"Do my eyes deceive me? Could it be?" He did a double take, just to make sure. "Yes, it is! A Time Gear! I finally found one! But, this is only the first of many."

He reached up, and grabbed the Gear from it's pedestal and ran like the wind, as behind him, raindrops froze in place, and an eerie silence spread across the region.

Grovyle looked back, and saw what he had done. He felt a pang of guilt. How many lives had been uprooted in that one act? He looked ahead, and told himself: _It's for the greater good._

Besides, a few months would be nothing compared to the eternity they would face otherwise.


	21. A Thief Called Grovyle

_Alright, just to warn you, this chapter broke the last one's record for my longest story by word count. Please don't murder me. For those of you who are in love with numbers, the word count is 9,921. I'm almost breaking into five digit territory here! I need to learn how to better divide chappies. Oh, and LyraGlaceonVulpix, I really do like your stories. If you aren't her, perhaps you should try reading one of her stories, Betrayal. Its second chapter is up!  
><em>

Chapter 21: A Thief Called Grovyle

Welcome to Vulpix's Head

"UP AND AT 'EM ITS MORNING!"

When I woke up, I was glad to see that Chris was, for once, in his bed.

"Good morning," I said.

"Mmph."

"You know you still need to register Flora as a member of our team, right?"

"Yeah, shouldn't we get to the morning assembly?" said Chris as he finally moved to get up.

"Yes, we should, come on."

We made our way to the line-up. After cheers, Chatot had a special message for Chris.

"Riolu- Chris, you weren't at cheers yesterday."

"Uh, am I in trouble?" he asked. I was a little worried, he was very strict, would Chris still be a Guild member at the end of the day?

"You would be if you hadn't been on a mission. Which reminds me, there's a Treecko here asking to join your team, Flora, I think."

Chris sighed a sigh of relief. "Yeah, can she join?"

Chatot nodded. "Yes, it would be a problem if she wanted to make another team, we don't have any extra crew rooms, but if she wants to join your team, I guess she can stay in yours."

I said, "I think that's great."

Chris said, "It's all good so far, right?"

Chatot replied, "You all just need to register her with Guildmaster Wigglytuff."

One surprise filled initiation later, Flora walked out with the rest of us, sporting a Special Band with her pin on it, a bag, and her very own rescue badge.

"Yes! Finally on a team!"

"Welcome to Team Checkmate, Flora," said Chris, "This time officially."

"Chris, let's find Dusknoir, I think we should ask him something."

I led us to the town.

"What do you want to ask?" asked Chris.

"Just for advice," I said. I wanted to ask further about Chris's mystery.

Dusknoir was walking through the square when we met him.

"Oh! Sir Dusknoir!" I said.

"Oh, it's you again," he said cordially. Oh, he was so nice then. "What is it?"

"We were wondering if you figured anything out about, well, my partner's mystery."

Dusknoir responded, "I'm sorry, but I don't know anything on his subject. But I can promise you I'll do everything I can to help your problem."

I sighed. "Oh, that's okay. Thanks for helping!"

Suddenly Bidoof came tumbling down the stairs leading from the Square to the Guild.

"Oof!"

"Holy shit! Are you okay?" asked Chris as we circled around him.

"No time! Y'all need to get back to the Guild! It's an emergency!" yelled Bidoof.

"What?" yelled all of us.

We all ran up to the Guild, Dusknoir following.

"I can offer my assistance, too."

* * *

><p>Welcome to Chris's Head<p>

We all went down to see the entire Guild surrounding the Outlaw Board. Chatot and Wigglytuff were in front of it.

"Team Checkmate reporting for duty!" I said to announce our presence.

Flora asked, "What's going on?" as Vulpix and Dusknoir came down the ladder.

Chatot looked pained as he said, "Another Time Gear was stolen."

Vulpix was very worried, "Was it-?"

Chatot said, "Yes, unfortunately. It-it was the one at Fogbound Lake."

"What? No!" Everyone was outraged and shocked and surprised. For Flora and Dusknoir, it was less personal, but they understood the severity of the situation.

"How? We didn't tell anyone about the Gear!" exclaimed Vulpix.

A terrible silence spread.

"Is this the third?" I rhetorically asked, "That's only two left, I think."

Dusknoir asked, "How do you know how many there are?"

I responded, "I don't know."

Dusknoir continued, "That aside, I didn't know there was a Time Gear at Fogbound Lake. Why didn't you tell me?"

I explained, "We were sworn to secrecy by its guardian, Uxie, in order to protect that beautiful place and its Time Gear." I looked at my feet, or paws, I guess. "It clearly didn't work."

Wigglytuff said, "Sorry, Sir Dusknoir."

Chatot began to detail what happened, "A lone intruder sneaked into Fogbound Lake and obliterated Uxie's defenses. Once he was out of the way, he made off with the Time Gear. Needless to say, time stopped."

I remembered a friend there. "Is Uxie okay?"

"Fortunately, yes. He is currently under the Magnezone Squad's protection. Don't worry," said Wigglytuff.

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. I hope he doesn't think we betrayed him."

"One more thing, in Uxie's official victim statement, he reveals the thief's identity," said Chatot.

Flora asked, "Well, who is it?"

"Um, I don't think you're going to like this, but," Chatot sighed, "You can look at his wanted poster on the outlaw board."

Flora went right up to it and was instantly taken aback. I looked and saw...

"Grovyle?" I said.

Flora stepped back a bit, and I went to talk with her.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

She whispered angrily, "Are you retarded? He's giving my kind a bad name!"

"But, it can't possibly be that bad, can it?"

"I guess you're right..." Flora calmed down a bit.

I went back to Vulpix.

"So, Chris, this is the pokemon who's been stealing the Time Gears," she said.

I looked at him a while. "I wonder if he feels guilty. Most of all, I wonder why. Why could he possibly want to steal the Gears?"

"...Magnezone didn't want the problem to escalate, so they've put a ridiculously large bounty on Grovyle's head," Chatot said.

"I think the bounty'll get even criminals looking for him if it's high enough," I said.

Wigglytuff was off in the corner, but suddenly, things started to rumble as he began to shake.

"Urrr..."

"Oh dear," said Vulpix.

"Uuuuurrrr..."

"Squawk! What-?"

"We're going to capture Grovyle! I swear we'll capture that thief on the name of Wigglytuff Guild!" yelled Wigglytuff.

I sighed. "That's so determined it's scary."

"Chatot! On your time!"

"Uh, yes!" Chatot turned to face us. "Guild members! We're putting all our resources into finding Grovyle the thief! Do everything you can to bring him to justice!"

"We'd do that ANYWAY!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Can't lose any more Time Gears!"

I asked, "Are you actually expecting anything else?"

Dusknoir said, "Wigglytuff, I understand the situation now. I will do everything I can to help your Guild."

"Thank you, Dusknoir."

Finally, Chatot cheered, "That's what we want to hear! Prepare to go on a search, all of you. We'll be sending each team to a separate location! Meet back here to receive your assignment."

Everyone quickly dispersed. I ran out with Vulpix and Flora hot on my heels.

* * *

><p>We went out into to Treasure Town and took care of business.<p>

While wandering about, I discovered Xatu's Appraisal.

"Oh, hello, Xatu," said I.

"Hello, would you like me to appraise some boxes of yours?" asked Xatu.

"Could you explain what that is, please," requested Flora.

"I can show you what's in boxes you may find on your travels."

Vulpix and I looked at each other. She nodded. "Give me a minute."

I ran to Kangaskhan Storage.

"Oh, hello sweetie, how can I help?"

"Um, I'd like to withdraw all those boxes in my storage account, please."

She blinked. "_All _of them?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Oh, dear..."

A painful five minutes of hauling later, I had all thirty-six boxes.

"Thanks!"

I walked back to Xatu's and dumped all the boxes on the counter.

His eyes lit up. "Do you want me to appraise _all _of these?"

"Yes," I said as I put his total fee of 5400 Poke on the counter.

He opened all of them up, and there was magnificent loot inside.

Flora asked, "Where did you get all those boxes?"

"Found 'em."

We stored the rare items and went back to the Guild.

* * *

><p>Welcome to Vulpix's Head<p>

Chatot was briefing us on how to catch Grovyle.

"Now, this goes without saying, but Grovyle appears where Time Gears are located."

Chris sarcastically whispered, "Big shocker."

"Shush," I said.

"Therefore, we must find the Time Gears before he does. Wigglytuff and I have interviewed Sir Dusknoir for possible locations and we've found multiple locations with the possibility of housing a Gear.

"Corphish and Loudred, you two get the Eastern Forest."

"Hey, hey! Let's go!"

"Bidoof, Dugtrio, Sunflora, you three are being assigned to Crystal Cave."

"Golly, we'll do our best!"

"Finally, Vulpix, Chris, and our newest member, Flora, will search the Northern Desert."

"Sounds good to me."

"YOOM-TAH! Let's find those Time Gears," said Wigglytuff.

"YEAH!"

Before we left, Dusknoir told us something.

"You three listen to me. The Northern Desert is large, and for the most part uncharted. It is an inhospitable place and is constantly plagued by sandstorms. Take care when navigating it."

I said, "You know we will, sir! Thank you for the advice!"

Flora, Chris, and I left the Guild for the Northern Desert.

* * *

><p>Welcome to Chris's Head<p>

The Northern Desert was very hot, very dry, and seemed quite lifeless.

Flora said, "This place seems kind of dangerous."

Vulpix said, "But, if there's a Time Gear here, then Grovyle should be here."

I said, "I wonder if we'll find a plane crash."

Everyone looked at me like I was crazy.

"What? I saw it in a movie once," I said.

Flora and Vulpix shook their heads.

"Fine, let's just search until sundown," I said.

"Okay."

We wandered aimlessly for a long time. There weren't many pokemon. Only the occasional Trapinch and Sandshrew. Flora showed her skill with Bullet Seed. I made a mental note not to get on her bad side. Around an hour in, the sandstorms started.

They were wicked. They especially hurt Flora.

"Ow! Why is the sand like this?" She screamed.

"Just hang on, we're almost done," I comforted.

Suddenly, we were ambushed by two Carnevine.

They attacked me, and I nearly fainted.

"Chris!"

But, right before they delivered the final blow,

"REVERSAL!"

Suddenly, the tables were turned, and they were the ones on the ground, and I was munching on an Oran Berry.

Vulpix smiled. "You learned Reversal!"

"And _THAT _is why you don't put me in a corner!" I yelled in triumph.

Flora merely said, "Well done, can we leave yet?"

"Almost done."

Fourteen floors after we entered, we reached the desert's deepest part. There was a bunch of, well, I want to say sinkholes, but it was more like gigantic whirlpools made out of the desert sands.

It was mesmerizing, watching the sand dive down. It was calling to me. There was a feeling in the air as well. A feeling that I had felt at Fogbound Lake.

Something was here.

"Chris, there's nothing here, and it's dangerous, come on, let's go!"

Vupix was shouting at me, because I had just been staring.

"Yeah, okay," I said distractedly. I turned away from the quicksand.

* * *

><p>When we returned to the Guild, everyone told what they saw.<p>

"So, no one found any evidence of a Time Gear. Nothing?" asked Chatot.

"No, nothing but quicksand in the Northern Desert," said Vulpix.

"Just trees in the Eastern Forest," reported Loudred.

"Golly, Crystal Cave was chock-full of crystals!" exclaimed Bidoof, "I just couldn't handle not taking one of the beauties."

"When did you pick that up, Bidoof? I never saw you take it," said Sunflora, "yet I was with you the whole time!"

Dugtrio chided, "Bidoof, we failed our objective and you have the _nerve _to pick up souvenirs?"

"Gosh, I'm sorry! I just wanted a little something for myself, for once..."

Chatot spoke to Dusknoir. "Sir Dusknoir, I fear that our efforts were fruitless."

"Dear, this is quite vexing. I thought our locations chosen held promise. I blame my lack of knowledge, personally," said Dusknoir.

Chatot said, "Don't think like that! Your knowledge led to the search in the first place."

"However, failure ensued, which is a fact. But, you are right. There is no point in being hard on ourselves. We will rethink our strategies tomorrow."

"Yes! Let's! Everyone, that's enough work for today! I think you've earned some rest. Get ready for tomorrow," finished Chatot.

"UNDERSTOOD!"

* * *

><p>The next day, Chatot gave his brief.<p>

"Search for the Time Gears on your own initiative while Dusknoir and I plan a new strategy."

"HOORAY!"

Vulpix and Flora were on me instantly. "So, where to?"

"You are the leader."

I thought about Quicksand Desert. Not right away, but, that feeling. It was like, a very light Scream, almost.

"What's wrong?" asked Vulpix.

"We've lost him again..." Flora said.

"Quicksand Desert," I said.

Flora was instantly against it. "Oh _hell _no! No way you are draggin' me back there!"

"But, we searched there already, didn't we?" asked Vulpix.

"You know how sometimes, I just, feel things? Like how I just had a feeling at Fogbound?"

"Yes..."

"Are you sick in the head?" asked Flora.

"Anyway, I had the same thing at Quicksand."

"Oh! I've got you! We're heading back there," said Vulpix.

"Then count me out!" exclaimed Flora.

I sighed, "Please, we'll get through it quickly, now that we know the way."

"Ugh, fine."

* * *

><p>Two hours of moaning later, "Well, here we are again," said Vulpix.<p>

Flora said, "But there's still _nothing! _That means we can go, right?"

I sat down in the sand. "No, there's something here. Something more than sand and whirlpools. I can feel it."

I ran the sand over my fore-paw.

"If only sand lies here, then," I suddenly stood up, I was overtaken by a mad idea. "That's the Time Gear's defense here!" I yelled.

"Pardon?"

"Listen, if you want to make sure something stays hidden, forever, where would you hide it?"

Flora said, "I'd bury it somewhere." She then realized what I was saying. "OH _HELL _NO! THAT'S WHERE I DRAW THE FUCKING LINE! I AM NOT JUMPING INTO QUICKSAND!"

Vulpix was incredulous. "Are you sure, Chris?" she yelled, "Or should I be asking, ARE YOU INSANE?"

I stood at the edge of the main sand pit. "If you want to turn back here, I wouldn't blame you. But I just know, that there is something on the other side of this pit."

"Chris, I trust you 100%," said Vulpix, "I've trusted you completely ever since our first exploration. But, you're beginning to test it..."

Flora shook her head. "I don't know about you, but I'm not going to throw my life away."

I then said, "Flora, I was actually about to tell you to head back to the Guild and tell them that there's something beneath the desert sands."

"You're actually going to jump!" Flora screamed in disbelief.

"Yes."

Vulpix stole herself. "Okay, on three. One, two, three!"

We jumped into the sand.

It pulled us down very quickly. Unlike normal quicksand, which you float in, we sunk like rocks.

Vulpix screamed, "Wah!"

* * *

><p>It then opened up into a gigantic cavern. We fell ten feet to the floor.<p>

"Ow! My backside!"

"Fuck! That hurt!"

Neither of us landed well.

Flora yelled down, "CHRIS! VULPIX! ARE YOU TWO ALIVE?"

"YEAH!" I yelled back up, "WE"RE HEADING ON DEEPER INTO THE CAVE! TELL THE GUILD ABOUT THIS!"

"GOT IT!"

I went over to Vulpix.

"You okay, Val?"

She looked at me. "I'm fine, but why do you keep calling me Val?"

I explained, "It's short for Valerie, for some reason, my mind wants to call you that."

She looked on and whispered to herself, "Was that Chirs in my dream? So long ago?"

"So, is it alright if I call you Val?"

"I guess, it is sort of like a shortened form of Vulpix, right?"

"I guess. Ready to go, Val?"

"Only if you are, Chris. Let's find a Time Gear."

We began to walk deeper into the cavern.

* * *

><p>The place was a maze. And dangerous. Sand was falling everywhere for the first few floors, and corridors would literally flood with sand as we passed through them. The pokemon weren't helping either. Skorupi, Sandshrews, and Larvitar left and right.<p>

Ten subfloors in, there was a Kangaskhan Rock. Couldn't use storage from it, though. I advised Val, "Right, I'm one hundred percent sure this next bit'll be harder. Are you ready?"

She said, "Let's rest first."

We rested and had lunch. We then headed onwards. The same problems from earlier applied, but now Mawiles, Sandslashes, and Pupitars were getting on our tails. Literally too.

* * *

><p>On the final subfloor, there was a terrible incident with the corridor.<p>

As we walked through it, there was a terrible rumbling.

"Oh shit, Val, we need to move."

We quickened our pace. Two seconds later, all hell broke loose.

"Chris! Run!"

Val ran ahead of me and I was right behind her. The reason she passed me was because I looked back. The corridor we were walking through had begun to collapse. We sprinted for what seemed like ages until we finally came out into a chamber. We tumbled on to the floor as the corridor behind us closed up with sand and rock. We were panting, and fatigue set in as the adrenaline wore off. More so for Val. That's one of the nice things about being a fighting type. Endurance. I looked around the chamber and saw two things.

First was a large lake."Well, that's odd. Didn't expect to find a lake this far under the desert."

She looked around and her eyes lit up. "This is amazing! It's so huge!"

Second was a glowing thing in the distance.

"I've seen that light before," she said, "Oh! I know that light! It's the same light as the Time Gear at Fogbound Lake!"

"Hey, let's take a closer look," I said.

We walked up to the edge of the water, and everything went dark.

"It went dark!" said Val.

"This is never a good thing..." I said.

A surprised voice rang out, "Wait, what? Who are you?"

"Wah! Who said that?" asked Val.

"We aren't alone here, Val," I said.

The voice demanded, "WHY DID YOU COME HERE?"

I quickly said, "We don't want any trouble, we just came looking for the Time Gear."

_"What?" s_creamed the voice. "Stay away from the Time Gear! If you don't stay away, then, I-I'll stop you!"

A pokemon that looked like Uxie, except its headdress was pink, not yellow, popped out of the water.

"Who are you?" asked Val.

"I am Mespirit, protector of the Underground Lake's Time Gear!"

"Pleasure to meet you," I said.

She (at least I think Mespirit's a she) said, "You can't disturb it! Get ready!"

She then dive-bombed us. And the battle begun.

"If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get!" I yelled as I bit her. I was super-effective.

Val quickly followed with Imprison. Mespirit suddenly found she couldn't do anything. Ah, the advantages of being friends with a pseudo-psychic.

After that, the battle ended quickly.

"I can't let you take the Time Gear," Mespirit weakly said.

"Just stop already!" I screamed, "We don't want to take the Time Gear!"

"Don't lie to me! Uxie told me with his telepathy that the Time Gear at Fogbound Lake was stolen!"

"Pardon? You heard it from Uxie?" asked Val.

"I had no idea that telepathy had such range," I said.

"That was your doing, right?"

Suddenly a new voice said, "No, it wasn't."

We all turned to see a familiar face.

Val and I yelled, "Grovyle!"

"It was mine."

"Who are you?" asked Mespirit.

"I'm horribly sorry, but I need to be taking that Time Gear."

I said, "Hang on a minute! Why-"

Grovyle ran up and knocked us out of the way.

He said to Mespirit, "Stand aside."

"Never!" she spat, "I won't let you have the Time Gear!"

"Then I have no choice," Grovyle said as he knocked Mespirit down.

"Urgh!"

"Mespirit!" yelled Val.

"Don't push your luck, Mespirit, you've already sustained heavy damage." Grovyle walked forward.

"No! You'll have to get through us, first!" said Val as she and I got in Grovyle's way.

"Then, I am terribly sorry for what happens next." He quickly hit both of us with his Leaf Blades.

"Damn, you're fast..." I said as were pushed aside injured.

"Forgive me, Randy and Valerie, I have no quarrel with you two. It's just business," Grovyle dived into the lake.

"How come he knew what I call you, but got my name wrong?" I asked as I lay there.

"He's getting the Gear, Chris! That thief's going to steal the Time Gear!"

"I'm sorry, you two," said Mespirit, "Uxie must've meant him, not you."

"It's alright, Mespirit," I said, "I would've made the same mistake, probably."

Suddenly, the entire place began to shake.

We all bolted up.

"Oh, this is bad!" said Mespirit, "We have to get out of here!"

"Why?" asked Vulpix.

The world in front of us, starting at the Time Gear's (probably former) location began to turn grey. The waves on the lake froze in action and turned grey as a wave of energy passed over them.

"What's going on?" I yelled over the increasing noise.

Mespirit floated over to us as we al got in one place. "Time is stopping here because the thief stole the Time Gear! All around Underground Lake, TIME IS STOPPING!"

"Excuse me?" asked Val.

I yelled, "TIME IS STOPPING! WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE! RUN!"

The three of us started to run, but Mespirit was lagging behind.

"I, can't..." she said.

"Val!" I said as I grabbed Mespirit. Val took one of her arms.

"We ain't givin' up on you yet, sunshine," I said as we began to run with Mespirit on us.

"Don't, just, leave me."

"I said we're not leaving you behind!"

"Just hang on Mespirt! We'll get out of here," said Val.

I was seriously beginning to doubt that.

* * *

><p>We kept dragging Mespirit until we made it to where we entered.<p>

"Now what?" I asked.

"We're trapped!" Val said.

Mespirit spoke up. "I feel my strength returning, I can perform a short-range teleport to the surface. Hang on."

* * *

><p>After a feeling of nothingness, we were dumped onto the sand, a little distance away from the pit we entered in.<p>

We panted a little, and then the whirlpool of sand stopped, and we began to run again. This time, without having to drag Mespirit.

The eternity that the run inside Quicksand Cave felt like was nothing to the eternity we felt now. We kept two steps ahead of the wave, barely, until it had expanded to the region's limits. Then, we collapsed. Another eternity (or perhaps just five minutes) later, Flora came upon us, with some of the Guild in tow.

"Arceus! Chris, what happened? Who's that?"

Mespirit said, "I'm Mespirit, guardian of Underground Lake's Time Gear. I failed to protect it, time has stopped in the Northern Desert."

* * *

><p>The next day, Officer Magnezone was at the morning cheers.<p>

"BZT! Thank you for assisting our criminal investigation. Mespirit is in protective custody with her brother, Uxie. Their safety is guaranteed. We are dedicating all resources to the arrest of Grovyle. If you have any information that could lead to his arrest, please, don't be afraid to tell us. Good-bye, and thank you for your cooperation. BZT!"

As he left, Chatot took center stage and turned to us. "My, my, I am wholly astonished! There was a lake deep underneath the Northern Desert?"

I said, "We mustn't forget the Time Gear, Chatot."

"And the Time Gear too!"

Val spoke up, "But it was stolen, and we couldn't even slow down Grovyle, which is almost like complete failure."

"Golly, you know that ain't true!" said Bidoof.

"Omigosh, you need to stop being so hard on yourselves!" said Sunflora.

"Yeah, Team Checkmate can be proud of a well done job!" said Corphish, "But is really is a shame that we don't know what to do next."

Dugtrio said, "I agree, even a small hint as to the next place Grovyle will strike would be a good thing to have."

"So, consensus says we're back at square _numero uno?" _I asked.

"Perhaps not."

"Dusknoir, sir?" asked Chatot.

"There are some clues. Mespirit guarded a Time Gear at Underground Lake, Uxie guarded a Time Gear at Fogbound Lake-"

"And ancient texts have a legend that speaks of there being a trio of lake pokemon..." I said instinctively, "And Uxie had already told Mespirit of the stolen Gear via telepathy."

"What?" said everyone.

"Telepathy? Incredible," said Dugtrio.

"YOU read ancient texts?" asked Chatot.

Dusknoir said, "It would make sense, and you have indeed read the legend, haven't you, Chris?"

I tried to remember, "Um, I must have. I guess I'm beginning to remember things, finally. Uxie is the being of knowledge, Mespirit of emotion, and, there's a third, but I can't remember who it is. I know that there's three lake pokemon, though."

Dusknoir continued, "Very good, and those three together represent the essence of spirit and are said to keep balance in the world."

Flora asked, "Three? So, besides Uxie and Mespirit, there's another pokemon like them?"

"Yes, the last is Azelf, the being of willpower. If Uxie and Mespirit both guarded Time Gears," said Dusknoir, "then Azelf probably guards one as well."

"Then if we can locate Azelf," said Chimecho, "Then we may find a Time Gear with the pokemon. And Grovyle might be there, too!"

"Correct you are," said Dusknoir, "Those three, Azelf, Mespirit, and Uxie, all dwell at lakes. Keep this in mind. Uxie's lake was on a tall plateau, and Azelf's was deep beneath a desert. Both were in unorthodox locations. Azelf's will probably be in an abnormal place as well."

Loudred exclaimed, "I get it NOW! We look where water SHOULDN'T be!"

"My, my, my," sung Chatot, "What wisdom, Sir Dusknoir. My admiration for you is renewed."

"Thank you... It's really nothing..." said Dusknoir, a little embarrassed.

"No, really, we revere you," said Dugtrio, "Your recommendation of Northern Desert led to the discovery of a Time Gear."

"Omigosh, if there was a Time Gear there, then maybe there might be one at the Eastern Forest or Crystal Cave!" said Sunflora.

"That gives me an idea," said Dusknoir, "Bidoof."

"Yup, yup. Yessir, how may I help you?"

"I was wondering if I could borrow that crystal of yours for but a moment. The one from Crystal Cave."

"I-I'm sorry, but n-no! By golly, that's my prized treasure!"

"Of course, but rest assured, it will be returned to you in pristine condition. Now, Chris."

Everyone laid their eye's on me. "Uh, yeah?"

"I would like you to touch Bidoof's crystal."

"Err, what?" I asked, confused.

"If there truly is a secret at Crystal Cavern, then when Chris touches it, then it my trigger a Dimensional Scream!"

I understood by that point. "Oh yeah, the Scream. It's very useful innit?"

"Dimensional Scream?" everyone asked.

"It's an ability Chris has. You see, when he touches something, then Chris sees an event that happens in the past or future related to that object," said Val.

"Really?" asked Corphish.

"I desperately wish to borrow he Crystal for that purpose, so, may we, Bidoof?"

"Oof," said Bidoof, "I honestly can't resist a reason like that. OK."

Bidoof turned over the crystal to me.

I held it in my paw. "What secrets do you hold?" I whispered.

"Chris, do you feel anything?" asked Val.

Just when I was afraid that my gift would fail, and I would have an extremely awkward moment having to explain why the blazes it didn't work to everybody, I saw some colors.

"Oh, boy. Here it comes," I said. I began to feel dizzy as the colors began to flash faster. I began to speak to the vision, "Quit the fanfare and get to the poi-" I was cut off mid-word as the flash happened.

The colors consumed all and became black, and I lost all feeling of a corporeal form. A line extended across my vision.

_Here we go._

* * *

><p>There was a voice speaking as the scene came into focus.<p>

"Ugh," said a figure that looked like Uxie and Mespirit, apart from the headdress, which was blue this time, as it came into focus.

The green blur became Grovyle as it said, "Now, I'll take it! The Time Gear!"

At these words, the Time Gear's location lost its blur.

The rest of the scene became crisp, and I could see that they were in a cavern literally made of crystals.

Grovyle ran to the Time Gear.

Azelf said, "N-no, you can't..."

The vision ended.

* * *

><p>And I found myself back in the Guild with Vulpix waving her paw in front of my face.<p>

I turned to face her. "Why are you waving your paw in my face?"

"He's back," she announced, "Did you see anything?"

I turned to everyone. I took a deep breath, and said, "I saw Grovyle stealing the Time Gear away from a pokemon, probably Azelf, in a chamber made of crystal, most probably in Crystal Cavern."

"WHAT?"

"You saw that?"

"Golly, how?"

"Chris," said Chimecho, "Did you see the past or future?"

Chimecho must've seen my face, because she said, "So, you're not sure..."

"It's not like there's a label..." I said softly.

Dugtrio said, "If there's no way to tell, then we can assume it was in the past and that we are already to late to stop Grovyle."

"Squawk! Too late?"

Everyone began to panic as I sighed. "Pessimist..."

"Everyone, hold on!" said Dusknoir. "It could have very well happened in the future. Val, kindly remind us what Mespirit said about how she learned of the Time Gear being stolen."

"Um, she said that she heard it from Uxie telepathically," said Val.

"What about Azelf?"

"None of us have ever heard the name until you mentioned it, Dusknoir," I said.

"Then there is still a chance," said Dusknoir, "If Mespirit claimed that _Azelf _had alerted her, then that would've meant that Azelf would've already lost the Gear. But if not,"

"Then Azelf might still have the Time Gear!" I finished.

"A final point, and I am sure of this," said Dusknoir, "The fact that there was a vision indicated a Time Gear, so, maybe what we seek is in Crystal Cave! Perhaps there is a passage there!"

"THAT makes SENSE!" yelled Loudred.

"Even if it is but a slim chance, then we must try!"

"YEAH!"

"Dusknoir, if what you say is correct," said Chatot, "then we must search Crystal Cave immediately! Guildmaster, please issue the call of duty!"

"I played Call of Duty once, excellent first person shooter," I said randomly.

"Chris, please stop saying nonsense," said Flora, "You're crazy."

Wigglytuff did nothing.

Everyone quieted as Chatot said, "Guildmaster, are you with us?"

"...zzz..."

I chuckled, "My dad knew how to do that, you know, sleep with your eyes open, it's incredibly useful."

"GUILDMASTER!" yelled Chatot.

"Huh?" asked Wigglytuff blearily. "Oh, right! Guild! We're going after Grovyle! YOOM-TAH!"

"HOORAY!"

* * *

><p>Welcome to Val's Head<p>

"So this is Crystal Cave!" I said.

Chris stuck his head in and looked left, then right, "It's full of crystals, girls!"

Flora sarcastically said, "No way! I wonder if that's why it's called Crystal Cave?"

"You don't say?" asked Chris in a similar tone.

"Um, so, do you really think there will be a Time Gear here?" I asked.

Flora said, "Ask Chris, he's probably from around here, most Riolu are. I mean, even his name sounds like Crystal."

Chris said, "Actually, it's a shortened form of Christopher. And I'm not from here, either. I'm from Florida."

Flora and I looked at each other and said without words, _He's crazy._

He then turned to us and said, "I think my mind's finally beginning to repair itself. Anyway, let's find Azelf's lake!"

He led the way into the dungeon.

"Chris," I called ahead, "How exactly are we going to find the lake?"

"I'm feeling depth first," he said, "What about you girls, any ideas?"

"Depth-first," said Flora, "Whatever that is."

We went deeper into the dungeon.

* * *

><p>Around the fifth floor, we met a pokemon who seemed a little different.<p>

He saw us and began to run at us from across the room. We all sidestepped his attack, and he ran, head-on into a wall of crystals behind us.

They shattered, and we heard a thud a second later. We looked in the hole he had made, and saw him there smirking at us.

"I'm Steele!" He greeted. He ran out of the hole and said, "I'm a Bagon, obviously, and you've just walked into my trap!"

"Heh, not much of a trap if you missed," Chis said with a chuckle.

"Shut up! Just because all you Riolu and Lucario got the run of this place don't mean you can control me," said Steele.

"Rrgh," growled Chris as he went to attack him. However Flora grabbed him.

"I can take this guy," she said as she took center stage.

I asked, "Are you sure?"

Chris said, "Don't worry, she can hold her own. Besides, we have a spare Reviver Seed around here somewhere."

Flora angrily said, "I can hear you back there!"

Steele wisecracked, "Hah! I'm getting the weakest one first!"

"Weakest this!" said Flora as she used Bullet Seed.

"I hope you enjoy Headbutt!" He said as he pushed through the barrage of seeds.

"You'll regret that," Flora calmly said, "Giga Drain!" She latched on to him, and began to suck the life out of him.

Suddenly, she was the one with power, and Steele was on the verge of fainting.

"Ugh, I surrender," he said, "Now finish the job."

Chris walked up to him and said, "Actually, we were wondering if you'd like to join our exploration team."

"What?" Flora and I asked.

"With girls this powerful? I definitely don't want to be against you. I'm in."

"Welcome to Team Checkmate, Steele," said Chris. "I'm Chris, you just fought Flora, and over there is Val."

"Are you and Val, like, together?"

"What? No!" We both said together.

"They're an item," said Flora.

"Knew it."

Chris eager to change the subject, said, "We're looking for a lake, got any leads?"

Steele said, "This is just a rumour, but at the deepest part of Crystal Cave, there's supposed to be some kind of secret. I've never been able to figure it out though."

"You wouldn't mind leading us to the deepest point, would you?" Chris asked.

Steele said, "You should know where it is, your kind've got this entire place in your paws. Besides, everyone in Crystal Cave knows where it is!"

"I'm not from here," said Chris.

"What? Well then, follow me."

He led us through corridor after corridor.

* * *

><p>About thirty minutes later, we arrived at the deepest point.<p>

There was a Kanaskhan Rock, where we stored our stuff, and three gigantic gemstone pillars.

"Wow, that's amazing," said Chris.

"Yeah, we haven't seen anything like these on our way here," I said.

Steele said, "The elders says it's blue, but that's all they say about this."

Flora said, "But none of these crystal pillars are blue. They're each a different color, but none are blue."

"Hmm, there's probably a secret here..." I said.

Steele then said, "Watch this."

He touched one of the pillars, and it changed colors. "Neat, huh?"

"Let me have a go," Chris said as he touched the pillar, then each of the others in succession. "They all change," he observed.

"That has to be part of the puzzle," said Flora.

Chris stepped back, and stared off into the distance for a long time. It seemed as if he had a vision. He looked around after a little while, and seemed to be thinking about something. He whispered, "Unify the colors..."

"I have an idea," said Chris, "Let's take all the pillars, and make them blue."

"Let's try it!" I said.

We touched the crystal pillars until they became blue, and when they were all blue, the crystals shone a little brighter. The ground began to shake.

"Wah! A tremor!" I screamed. I guess I was still a coward back then.

Anyway, the crystals began to spark, and great arcs of energy came together to a point in the middle of the three, fifteen feet above our heads.

"Guys, I think we'd better back off," said Chris.

"I've lived here my entire life, and that ain't normal!" Steele said as he backed away.

We ran just as a huge crystal broke it's way out of the ground under the energy.

We turned around, and saw that there was an entrance in the crystal.

"Wow," said Steele, "Ten years, and I missed _THAT?"_

"I think we go in," said Chris.

"I don't know," said Flora, "I'm not a big fan of small, enclosed, spaces. I prefer forests."

"Actually, you and Steele should head back to the Guild, tell them that we've found something."

"Why us?" asked Steele.

"Because you know the way, genius."

"Oh, okay," said Steele.

Flora said, "Be careful, and make sure you get there first."

I said, "Alright, see you!"

* * *

><p>Crystal Crossing, as it is now called, was long and winding, but it indeed led to Azelf's lake, Crystal Lake.<p>

"Chris! We found the lake!"

"Fantastic, Val. Just check out these rock formations."

"Do you really think Azelf lives here?"

"Yeah, check out that glow."

He pointed to a glow right next to an island in the middle of the lake.

"Could that really be the Time Gear?"

"Well, it probably is. What else could give off that glow?"

"Hey? Is someone on that island?"

"I can't tell, let's go for a closer look. Don't worry about swimming, Val, I think there's what looks like a strip of rock leading to it."

We ran to where we looked at and saw-

"Now, I'll take it! The Time Gear!"

"No, you can't-!"

Grovyle was delivering the final blow to Azelf, and heading for the Gear.

"Hurry, Val! We don't have much time!" Chris ran to the little island. I was right behind him. But, the strip of rock was winding, and we'd never make it there in time.

Grovyle turned around, "Azelf was it? The Time Gear is sunk at the bottom of this lake, am I correct?"

"Y-yes," muttered Azelf, "But you will never get it, I heard of your skill, Grovyle, from Uxie and Mespirit, and I was worried I wouldn't be able to knock you out directly. So, I devised a fail-safe."

_"What?_" demanded Grovyle.

"Rrgh, GAH!" yelled Azelf in effort.

Suddenly, there was a great rumbling.

"Oh, shit! Another tremor?" asked Chris, as he grabbed me.

Suddenly, the crystals of the cave spread all across the lake, denying access to the water.

"Well, that's convenient," said Chris as he ran across the crystals.

"I can't get to the Time Gear," said Grovyle.

"Good," said Azelf.

"I'll find a way, Azelf! I need the Time Gear, AND I WILL DISPOSE OF YOU IF I HAVE TO!" Grovyle approached Azelf but Chris got in the way. I got right beside him.

"Stop! Don't do this, Grovyle!" he said, "Don't take the Time Gear!"

"I have no quarrel with you two," Grovyle said, "Now step aside, Team Checkmate, or there will be consequences."

"No! We won't step aside!" I said.

"Then you leave me no choice," said Grovyle, "Prepare to fight!"

Grovyle led in with Leaf Blade, which we quickly countered with a Flamethrower/Focus Blast combo. Chris used a TM a while ago, and he's been dying for a chance to use the attack.

Grovyle seemed to be seriously injured, but he said, "ENOUGH!" and very quickly pushed us aside with Leaf Blades much more powerful than normal.

"Overgrow..." Chris whimpered, "...When he's nearing the end, his grass attacks become stronger..." He then laid his head down and moaned softly.

I was pushed back to where Uxie was, and when I tried to respond, "..." _I-I can't speak. _I later found that he had hit me in the chest somehow and that my lungs had stopped working.

"Now, get out of the way, Valerie," said Grovyle.

"..." I closed my eyes. _NEVER!_

"So you refuse, eh? Please forgive me." Grovyle went to attack me, but then he was hit in the head with an Aura Sphere. He turned around to see Chris, still lying there, but with a smirk on his face.

"Gotcha, bastard," said Chris, then he fainted.

"GROVYLE!" yelled a new voice.

I turned around and saw Dusknoir.

"You!" said Grovyle, "I never expected to see you in this world."

I began to feel faint.

Dusknoir said, "I've searching for you a long time, Grovyle, and I will finally stop you!"

"You chased me here, from all the way over there, _here!"_

"Yes, it wasn't easy finding you, but without your annoying friend, it got a little easier."

"Damn you!" said Grovyle as he threw himself forward.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and he vanished.

"Damn!" yelled Dusknoir, "He never intended to fight at all! I must find him."

Dusknoir vanished. My vision began to fade at the edges, and as I collapsed to the ground at lost consciousness, I heard a familiar voice and the clamor of footsteps.

"Arceus! Guys! They're here... What happened?"

* * *

><p>Welcome to Chris's Head<p>

When I came to, I was on a bed in the Guild, and Flora was standing over me.

"What happened?" I asked.

Flora's eyes went wide, and I realized that they had tears in them.

Suddenly, I sat upright and looked around. I saw that the entire Guild was in our crew room, all of them huddled around the spot where Val's bed was. I cringed because there was a massive pain in my lower torso. But, there was one pokemon I didn't see.

"Flora, where's Val?" I asked. I was deeply worried. More so than I had ever remembered.

"She's-" Flora's voice caught.

I heard Chimecho yell, "I can't get a pulse anymore!"

I stood up and screwed my face in pain. I put my paw against the bandage wrapped around my lower torso and went over to Val's bed.

Chimecho was on her, and everyone had tears in their eyes.

Chimecho turned and said, "Chris, I'm sorry, she's-" she sobbed, "gone."

I couldn't believe it, and I cried, but a second later, I held back my tears, and I knew what to do.

"Let me have her," I said to Chimecho.

She floated away, and I knelt beside Val.

I whispered in her ear, "Val, I know you're supposed to die, but there is no chance in hell that I am going to let you die today."

I turned her onto her back, prayed I was doing it right, and placed my paws on her chest.

I began to compress it, counting, "One, two, three, four."

I opened up her mouth, and pressed my mouth against hers. I forced air into her.

I repeated twice more.

Finally, when I was just about to give up, I said, "I need you, girl." And put my mouth against hers, and forced her to breathe.

When I pulled away, she gasped for air.

"C-Chris, what happened?"

Everyone in the Guild gasped and I gave her a teary hug.

"You died, but now you're alive," I said, while crying.

She pushed me off of her with a bandaged paw and got off her back.

She looked me in the eye and asked, "Did you, _kiss _me?"

"Uh..."

Steele said, "Three times, actually."

"Steele," I moaned.

"Well then, Chris," she said, "Why don't I return the favor?" She then tackled me and gave me a lick.

I laughed, then I cringed, because she had hurt me when she tackled me. "Can we wait a while?"

"Okay," she said as we returned to our beds. The entire Guild was watching, but we didn't care.

I asked, "How long were we out?"

"Only a couple of hours," said Chimecho through tears, "Now rest."

"Azelf?"

"Is fine," said Chimecho, "He's in the commons room, would you like to talk to him?"

"Actually, I want to tell everyone something," said Val, "Can I head to the commons room?"

"Together," I said. I took Vulpix and brought her to her feet. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>We hobbled into the commons room, where Azelf was waiting.<p>

"So, what is it you wanted to tell us, Val?" I asked.

"I think Grovyle and Sir Dusknoir knew each other before all this," she said.

"How can you tell?" I asked.

Val said, "After you fainted, Dusknoir arrived, and the way he and Grovyle were speaking as they prepared to fight, it sounded like they knew each other."

"Oh, you held out that long?"

"Actually, Grovyle vanished, and Dusknoir must've followed."

Suddenly, there was a blaring siren.

"The EMERGENCY siren!" yelled Loudred, "What's WRONG Diglett?"

Diglett popped out of the ground and said, "Emergency call from Magnemite, one of Magnezone's crew. Now, Magnemite, speak clearly and deliver your message down the sentry hole!"

"Zzzt! Can you hear me? Zzzt!"

"Loud and clear!" yelled Diglett.

"Zzzt! Officer Magnezone is calling all pokemon to Treasure Town's main square! Zzzt! And it's not just the Guild, he called _everyo__ne _to the square. Zzzt!"

"That sounds very serious. Nobody ever does that, unless if the entire place is in immediate danger or if there's, like, World War Three," I said.

"Hey, hey! Let's go find out what it is!" said Corphish.

* * *

><p>When we made it to the square, almost everyone in town was there.<p>

"BZZT! You made it! Gather round, Dusknoir is about to explain everything. BZZT!" said Magnezone.

"Sir Dusknoir," said Val, "I was wondering if you could tell us if you knew Grovyle."

Dusknoir answered, "Valerie, it is one of the topics I will discuss, just wait."

"BZZT! Now that everyone has assembled, we're going to get this meeting started. The topic is the recent string of Time Gear thefts. BZZT! The thief, as you may have already collected, is a pokemon known as Grovyle, but yesterday, he failed. He failed to steal a Time Gear-"

Applause and cheers erupted from the crowd.

"-due to the heroic actions of Azelf. BZZT!"

Azelf got a pat on the back from Ursaring. He fell to the ground, but quickly got back up, laughing.

"BZZT! And the pokemon to save Azelf, and chase away Grovyle, is Dusknoir! BZZT!"

More cheers.

"Officer Magnezone, if I may?" said Dusknoir.

"BZZT! Go ahead. BZZT!"

"Everyone! We cannot give ourselves false security, for the thief Grovyle is still at large. However, there is an important matter I have to share with you. Just now, Valerie here, you know her as Vulpix, asked me whether I knew Grovyle from before this. The answer is yes."

The crowd gave a collective, "WHAT?"

"Despite the improbability of what I am about to tell you, it is the complete truth. Grovyle is a pokemon from the future."

The entire crowd went wild.

A voice called out, "Waddaya mean future?"

"I mean exactly that. Grovyle is a wanted criminal in the future, and he fled through time to evade justice.."

I laughed a little, "Man, that is just like Terminator, except, I don't don't think Grovyle's an evil badass robot."

Vulpix, Flora, and Steele each did a facepalm.

"In our future, Grovyle is a terrible criminal, and he fled here to escape. While here, he devised a catastrophic plan, in which he took all the Time Gears, and caused the planet's paralysis."

"What does it mean when a planet is paralyzed?" asked Teddiursa.

"When a planet is paralyzed, the winds don't blow, the sun doesn't rise, spring and summer never come. The world becomes darkness, and it would not be an understatement to call it a world's ruin."

"No way," said a Pidgey, "That's crazy!"

"Hey hey! I have a question, Sir Dusknoir!"

"Yes, Corphish?"

"How do you know the future? I mean, no disrespect to you, but, even with your knowledge, I don't think you could know the future."

"Well, I too am from the future," said Dusknoir plainly.

"That makes sense, I mean, if Grovyle could travel back in time, hypothetically, you could reopen the dimensional hole he slipped through with relative ease, and then, eventually, you wind up where your quarry does," I said.

"Since when did you become an expert on temporal science, Chris?" asked Dusknoir just as Chatot was about to tell me off.

"Sometimes, these random theories pop up in my head. Maybe they're from a past life."

"Possibly, but that aside, I came from the future with the sole objective of apprehending Grovyle. I studied as much as possible about your time to prepare before I followed Grovyle, which is why I know so much."

Chatot said, "But why didn't you tell us from the get go."

"Would you have taken me seriously if I had been open about my identity?"

"You'd get my treatment, sir," I said.

"Hmm. Besides, I didn't want to alert Grovyle to my presense. But, I am sincerely sorry for deceiving you all."

"Don't worry," said Wigglytuff, "we forgive you."

"BZZT! We must focus our attention on Grovyle! who can we capture him? BZZT!"

"Actually, Mespirit, Azelf, Uxie and I already have a plan devised," said Dusknoir.

"What is it?" asked Steele.

"Well, that's between us, but you all need to spread a rumour, far and wide. Tell everyone that the lake trio are going to seal the Time Gear away, permanently."

"Then he'll come running!" I said.

"But, a rumour won't be enough by itself, which is why I will send these three there. And I plan on doing it alone."

"What? Why?" asked Vulpix.

"This is my problem, and mine alone. An ambush too large would scare him off. Besides," said Dusknoir as he bent down to Val and I, "You two are still weak from what happened, so you'd be the last to leave."

I groaned.

"Please excuse my selfishness, but I can't allow any mistakes," said Dusknoir.

Chatot then turned to all of us Guild members. "And that is how it stands, everyone. We shall only provide support. Understand?"

"YEAH!"

"This is fine with you, Guildmaster?" asked Chatot.

"Yup!" he confirmed.

"Thank you for listening, everyone," said Dusknoir.

"BZZT! You are all dismissed! BZZT!"

* * *

><p>We all headed back to the Guild and waited for news.<p>

Val and I did most of the waiting our room, "resting."

You'd think it would be extremely boring, but, I had a special something for that.

"Hey Val, wanna play a card game?"

"What's a card game?"

This was going to be fun.


	22. Running out of Options

_This chapter was fun to write. I hope you enjoy it. Oh, I'm moving the author's message to the bottom too. I think that you'll like it better if you hear my comments after it's all over, if at all. Am I right, or am I dead wrong?  
><em>

Chapter 22: Running Out of Options

Welcome to Third Person

Grovyle was running away from Crystal Cave. His chest burned because he had been running so long, but he _really _didn't want to get caught by Dusknoir now.

Crystal Cave's was the last Time Gear he needed!

_I've come too far to be captured now!_

His recent actions lay heavy on his heart. He had gravely injured two old friends of his. Of course, they didn't know he was a friend.

_Perhaps that's why Randy was so hesitant to let me in, and why he was so harsh._

Grovyle kept running. He ran through Apple Forest. The fresh air was like a boost, and the forest told him, "Run."

After some running, Grovyle found a suitable tree, tall and in the middle of dense vegetation.

He climbed up the tall tree, and stopped twenty-five feet up.

"This works," Grovyle said as he got into a comfortable position.

It was evening, and Grovyle began to give into fatigue as the the sun dipped lower onto the horizon.

"Still beautiful," he said, "I'm trying to preserve you, and yet you remain so combatant."

_If only I could tell them, maybe my job would be easy._

Grovyle knew what Chris would say to that.

_"Yeah, that's a _brilliant_ idea. A human and a pokemon walk into to town, 'Hello, we were wondering if we could stop time by taking some of your precious artifacts in order to keep time from stopping.' That'll _definitely _go down well."_

No, he wouldn't tell anyone.

_It's more fun that way._

Or at least that's what Chris would say.

Grovyle gave into the sandman's temptation of rest.

* * *

><p>In the morning, Grovyle picked an apple from the tree he was in. This was Apple Forest, after all. There were apples <em>everywhere. <em>You wouldn't have been able to starve if you tried. As he ate it, he heard some voices below him.

As he looked down, he saw a Treecko and a Bagon conversing with each other.

Because he had nothing else to do, he listened in.

"Yeah, so, where are you from, Flora?" asked the Bagon.

"I'm from around here actually," the Treecko, who must've been Flora, answered.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes, Steele. Arceus, for such a strong pokemon, you sure are stupid."

"Hey! For such a smart pokemon, you sure are weak!"

"I beat you didn't I?"

"Shut up!"

Grovyle chuckled inwardly. These two were hilarious. They were almost polar opposites in some respects. They had also stopped walking.

Grovyle couldn't shake the feeling he knew them.

Flora sighed. "Let's just stick to the mission. We need to rescue Butterfree on Floor Seven."

"I still don't see why Val and her boyfriend couldn't come," said Steele.

Flora said strongly, "You know what happened to them!"

"Yeah, but it can't 've been that bad."

"Her heart stopped!"

Grovyle suddenly felt an extreme weight in his chest. _I killed her?_

"But ain't she alive?" asked Steele, confused, "When your heart stops, you're dead, everyone knows that!"

"But, _her boyfriend," _said Flora with a little annoyance, "did that compression thing."

"What did he call it? Uh, CPR?"

"Yes, he said it stood for something else, but he wasn't sure what."

"How did he do it, again?"

Flora sighed. "He said that you're supposed to lie them on their back, then give them chest compressions."

"How's that work?"

"Apparently, it forces your heart into pumping blood."

"Then what?"

"Then you kiss 'em."

"What?" asked Steele, "What if they're, like, a guy, and-"

"You're supposed to breathe into them, like a balloon, he said."

"Could I have a demonstration?" asked Steele.

Flora got right up to Steele and said, "Not on your life."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Steele as they began walking again.

Grovyle watched as they walked away. They seemed good for each other. Five minutes later, he realized who they might've been.

He bawled out in laughter.

A day passed in this fashion. Grovyle decided that if he was going to wait out the heat, he could at least do it in comfort.

* * *

><p>On the second day, he planned to do the same routine, but suddenly, more footfalls grabbed his attention. He stayed in his tree, but looked on as the two figures walked right under him.<p>

Below him were an Espeon and an Eevee. The Espeon walking calmly, while the Eevee was playfully bouncing about.

"Starr, hang on a minute," called the Espeon.

The Eevee stopped, and turned to the Espeon, "Yes, mama?"

"Let's rest a while, okay?"

Starr nodded, "Okay!"

As he began to go off, the Espeon called, "Don't wander off too far!"

"I know!"

Grovyle inwardly cursed his luck. He would have to wait for these two to leave to do anything, because the Espeon had perched herself right at the bottom of his tree.

He suddenly experienced the unpleasant experience of having his mind probed. Having one's mind probed feels similar to having a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, which was recently voted the number-one alcoholic beverage in the Universe, but with none of the physical trauma. The effect of one of these drinks is similar to having your brain bashed in with a slice of lemon wrapped around a large gold brick.

Grovyle found it very unpleasant.

When it ended, a calm voice permeated his thoughts, and it said, _"You are not a bad pokemon, are you?" _It wasn't a question, but more of a statement.

Grovyle was almost knocked out of the tree by surprise.

Grovyle heard the voice again. "_I'm sorry, I must've scared you."_

He mentally spluttered, _Who is this?__  
><em>

_"I'm the Espeon sitting below you."  
><em>

The Espeon looked up into the tree. She nodded.

_"Before you ask, I know you're a fugitive."_

_Then why aren't you turning me in?  
><em>

_"I know your reasons for what you are doing, and I saw who you lost, and who is chasing you."  
><em>

_Then, can I leave?  
><em>

_"I want you to hear something, first. I've heard rumours that the lake trio will be sealing away the Time Gear at Crystal Cave, for good this time."  
><em>

_Damn! When?_

_"As soon as possible."  
><em>

_I'll need to go there quickly, then.  
><em>

_"You do know it's a trap, right?"  
><em>

Grovyle considered this. "It's a risk I'll have to take. I'm running out of options."

_"Then go. I promise you I won't tell anyone I saw you."_

As Grovyle left, he breathed, "Thank you."

He went back into the lion's throat.

* * *

><p>Grovyle was going through Crystal Cave again.<p>

He was lost.

Surprisingly, the second time he tried to traverse the cave, it was harder than last time.

_Can't luck give me a break, for once?_

After what was probably hours of pointless wandering, Grovyle finally made it to Crystal Crossing.

The journey had been so long, and arduous, that Grovyle's supplies were running low.

_Any more of this, and I may have to turn back!_

A very small voice in Grovyle's head whispered, _Perhaps its a sign that you really shouldn't do this! You know it's a trap!_

A louder voice in his head said, _Yes, but if they really are sealing away the Time Gear- I can't let that happen._

An even smaller, more hopeful voice said, _And even if I do get captured, if I'm lucky, maybe Chris will pick up where I left off._

Grovyle eventually, after some internal argument, decided that it would probably be best if he kept going.

Much later, he would say this was a huge mistake on his part.

* * *

><p>Grovyle had headed through Crystal Crossing and was now at Crystal Lake.<p>

He looked around, and found that the lake was no longer covered in crystals.

This was the first of many signs that something was not right. A little alarm went off in Grovyle's head, but he ignored it.

In the lake's center, there was the island again, and he clearly saw Uxie, Azelf, and Mespirit. Alone.

This should have been the second warning. The place should've been heavily protected and yet they left only three sentries, who have already been defeated once before? More warnings tripped. _It's too easy, something's not right... _Grovyle could have walked away right then and there, and nothing bad would've happened. And yet, he ignored the signs, and walked forward.

As he approached the island, he passed the point of no return, and he saw the final warning.

The three pokemon, who were allegedly hard at work sealing away the Time Gear, were not concentrating their efforts in the Time Gear's area, but on the island. The bullshit detectors in Grovyle's head were going wild, saying, _It's a trap! Get out NOW! _Grovyle finally began to listen, and prepared to run.

But by then it was too late. He had walked right into their trap, and he was already on their island.

"We expected you'd come here Grovyle," greeted Mespirt.

"But we weren't expecting you to make it so easy!" said Azelf.

Uxie bragged, "I had come up with a fool-proof plan to trap you in the case you figured out it was a trap, but, I now see that isn't necessary."

Suddenly, a wall of crystal popped up around the island, preventing escape.

By this point, Grovyle knew he was in deep trouble.

He looked around for any chink in the wall, but saw nothing. Then a voice, the one voice Grovyle had hoped he wouldn't have to hear here, interrupted him. "I believe you'll see that this crystal wall is impenetrable, Grovyle."

"I should've known you'd pull something like this, Dusknoir," said Grovyle as he turned to face his old enemy.

"There will be no clever escaping with your orbs this time, thief!"

Grovyle laughed. "You, and these three, I don't think this will be any problem."

"Think again," chorused five new voices.

Five Sableye dropped in from nowhere in-between Dusknoir and Grovyle.

_DAMN!_

"Give it up, Grovyle. You are outnumbered and outmatched. And remember?" said Dusknoir as he knocked against the crystal wall, "No running away this time."

_He's right,_ thought Grovyle, _but I'm not about to go down without a fight! _"Screw you, Dusknoir!" Grovyle yelled as he ran at the Sableye with a Wide Slash.

Three fell instantly, but the other two used Fury Swipes as Dusknoir, and the distant lake trio (but let's be honest, can they really do much from such a distance?), approached.

Grovyle knew it was only a matter of time before his defeat as he quickly spun and hit both remaining Sableye, knocking them out.

By now, Dusknoir was within striking distance, and as he sprinted, he fired a Shadow Ball at Grovyle.

Critical hit.

Grovyle was down, but as a final, "screw you," he fired a Bullet Seed at Dusknoir, right where it hurts.

Dusknoir pulled Grovyle up and slammed him against the wall of crystal.

Dusknoir then said, in the most hateful way possible, "You have no idea how much I want to kill you, right here, right now, Grovyle. The only reason you are not dead right now, is because Dialga ordered that you be put out of your _misery-" _Dusknoir accented the word misery by bashing Grovyle's head against the wall, so that the last thing he heard before fainting was, "-that you be put out of your misery in front of his own eyes..."

* * *

><p>Welcome to Val's Head<p>

"UP AND AT 'EM! IT'S MORNING!"

"Ugh, at least I don't have a hangover this morning..." said Chris. The morning before, he said that he had a huge headache. He called it a hangover and blamed it on the antibiotics.

"So, no headache?" I asked.

"None whatsoever. Wanna get out of bed today?" he asked as he got up. "We can't have Miss Lazarus be late for cheers, can we?"

"Laza-what?" I asked. I wasn't sure what to think of that. Was it an insult, a compliment?

"I dunno what I say sometimes, just roll with it," said Chris as he walked out of the room.

Steele and Flora were beginning to get up, too. Steele asked, "How do you get used to _that?"_

"You never really do," I answered.

We all went out to cheers. As we lined up, Chris pointed something out to me. "Diglett's sitting this one out, apparently."

"Ahem," said Chatot, "we still-" he started, but he was cut off by a siren. The warning siren.

"Do you have to play that every other day?" whined Chris.

Loudred called, "What's WRONG, Diglett?"

"Another urgent message from Deputy Magnemite," said Diglett as he popped out of the earth.

"Zzzt! I have a message from Officer Magnezone! Zzzt!" said Magnemite from the surface.

Chris commented, "Yo dog, I heard you like messages."

Everybody face-palmed at that.

"Zzzt! Grovyle has been capture by the Great Dusknoir." Cheers briefly interrupted Magnemite, but after they subsided, he continued, "Dusknoir will be returning to the future with Grovyle as his prisoner. Zzzt!"

"What? How?" was what everyone asked in some way or another. I felt a little sad at this news. I really looked up to Dusknoir, and now he had to go.

"Zzzt! I don't claim to know the process, but Dusknoir has opened up a dimensional hole in the town square! Zzzt!"

"Now that's devilishly hard to do," said Chris, "There are some unstable spots in the space-time fabric where it's somewhat easier, but you still need a massive amount of energy to open a portal, and even more to sustain it. Where did Dusknoir get his hands on such raw power?"

I was about to tell Chris off for joking about stuff like this, but then Magnemite said, "Zzzt! Dusknoir has said that he would like to say good-bye to everyone before leaving. He hopes to see you all at Town Square to say his final good-byes. Zzzt!"

Corphish turned around and said, "Hey, hey, hey! What are we all doing sitting around here? Let's go!"

We all left the Guild for Treasure Town's main plaza.

* * *

><p>When we got there, everybody in Treasure Town was already there, and there was a great big, black, flexing, changing portal.<p>

Chris was mesmerized by it.

Officer Magnezone gently nudged him away, saying, "BZZT! I'm sorry, but I cant have anyone too close to the portal, if you fall in, you will be sent to the future, and there may be no coming back. BZZT!"

Chris sheepishly backed off and looked around.

"Hey, Val," he said to me, "where do you think Dusknoir's at?"

I looked around, and he wasn't there. "I don't know."

"Hey, hey hey! It's the Great Dusknoir!" said Corphish.

Chris looked over, and said, "And the pokemon of the hour have arrived."

I turned to see who was there, and I saw Dusknoir walking behind Grovyle, who was bound by rope and had two Sableye on either side of him, barring his escape.

Everyone cleared a pathway to the portal out of respect.

When Dusknoir and his group took center stage, everyone formed a crowd around them.

Chris stared at the group solemnly. Grovyle stared right back at him. Chris frowned a little.

"Everyone! I have wonderful news! We have captured the thief, Grovyle!" Everybody cheered, except Chris, who was staring deeply into Grovyle's eyes. He did clap, though.

"This was all thanks to your continued cooperation. As you can see, Grovyle is a vile, vicious pokemon, but there will be peace now that this thief is out of the way!" Even Chris cheered a little at that.

"MMMPH!" said Grovyle.

Chris observed, "They muzzled the poor bastard; now he can't speak." Chris kept staring.

Chatot muttered, "Squawk. He had it coming."

"Sadly," said Dusknoir, "I have to go now. I really don't want to, but I must bid you all farewell."

Chatot sniffled, "Oh, Sir Dusknoir..."

"Uxie, Mespirit, Azelf, I leave you the rest," said Dusknoir.

"I know we need to return the Time Gears."

"Yes, but it is sad to see you go."

"But, nevertheless, we are always willing to help."

Dusknoir turned and said to the Sableye, "It's time."

The Sableye dragged Grovyle to the portal and pushed him through. They jumped through shortly afterwards.

"Thank you, all of you," said Dusknoir as he went to enter the portal. He suddenly stopped, and turned around saying, "Oh, yes. I almost forgot, before I go, I'd like to call two pokemon up. Will Christopher and Valerie please come here."

"That's us," said Chris, "Let's go say good-bye to the big guy."

I walked up with Chris.

"So," I said dolefully, "this is good-bye?"

"Yes," said Dusknoir. Suddenly, he got a very scary leer in his face. "Or is it?"

"Excuse me?" I said.

He lunged forward and grabbed us. "It's too soon for farewells!"

"What the hell?" exclaimed Chris.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

He lifted us up and jumped into the portal.

We were pulled in as well.

It was a swirling hell, and I was buffeted every which way.

Chris yelled, "The vortex is always a BITCH, isn't it?"

* * *

><p>Back in the square, everyone was speechless.<p>

"WHAT?" said Loudred.

"We have to go after them!" said Diglett.

As everyone ran to the hole, its power source was exhausted, and it collapsed.

The entirety of Treasure Town was in the square, wandering what had happened to Chris and I.


	23. Back to the Future

Chapter 23: Back to the Future

"Hey, wake up."

Welcome to Chris's Head

I heard someone's distant voice calling to me. I also felt someone nudging me, but it felt as if my mind weren't properly connected to these inputs.

I tried to get up, but my limbs refused to cooperate.

After a while, my mind began to clear.

I was lying on my side, and my head was on my bag. Someone considerate must've done that for me.

I opened my eyes and was face to with-

"Oh, hello, Val," I said with a slight slur.

She smiled a little, but her main look was one of concern.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

She said, "Chris, I think we're in some sort of jail."

I sat up. I looked myself over. Two arms, two legs, tail, two head appendage, err, things. Nothing out of place.

I looked around. We were in a small stone room, squarish, and had three walls devoid of detail. Where the fourth wall would be, there were some metal bars. In these bars was a cell door.

I stood up, and said, "I don't think we're gonna be here for very long."

Val went over to me and said, "Why's that?"

I said, "Usually, if you're going to imprison someone for a long while, you give them at least a bed. We have stone. This isn't as much of a jail cell as it is a holding cell."

She looked confused. "Chris, I think we're in the future."

"Yeah," I said while looking over the bars, "That would make some sense. We did go through the portal."

She said, "I don't get it. Why would Dusknoir pull us in, too?"

I tried the door. Not even a budge. "Damn. They're definitely not lax on the security here. Where the hell are we?"

"The future," said Val.

I retorted, "I didn't ask when, I asked where."

She frowned. "I don't know."

Suddenly, some Sableye unlocked the door.

The lead one, who looked _exactly _like all the other ones but was in the front said, "Good, you're awake, this makes things easier. You're going to be coming with us."

"Hey, I have some questions," I started.

"Too damn bad." The Sableye grabbed us and put some bags over our heads. Our world became black.

"WALK!"

I began walking.

"Don't push, asshole," I said. I very quickly received a kick.

"I can't see a thing!" said Val.

I said, "I believe that's the purpose of the bag, Val."

I was manhandled by one of my captors until I felt my back was against something. I felt ropes being wrapped around me, then tightened.

The bags came off, but it was still dark.

"Ooh, darkness," I said, "Pay your damn electric bill! Let's get some light in here!"

The room began to light up. A light lit up my left hand side.

Val was tied to a stone column, the column looked Roman. Or Greek. I can't tell the difference. Oh, right. She was tied to the thing, and was looking real wild-eyed.

My part got light. I saw that I was tied up as well. And probably to an identical column.

"Oh! Am I glad to see you! re you alright?" called Val.

I called over, "About as alright as a guy tied to a Romanesque column can be!"

"Humph," said another voice, "You're clueless about what's about to happen to us, aren't you?"

A third column was lit up to my right, and to it was tied-

"Grovyle!" yelled Val.

"Do you have any idea where we are?" he stated.

"Uhm, the Pantheon?" I guessed.

Grovyle sighed. "This a stockade! They're planning to get rid of us for good!"

"What?" screamed Val, "I can see why'd they want you gone, but why us?"

"And who," I said, "would _they _be?"

The rest of the room lit up as Grovyle said, "I don't know why they want you out of the picture, but you'll see exactly who _they _are in a moment. Look, here they come."

Six Sableye entered the room.

"Oh, these assholes," I said, "Hey, which one of you hit me?"

One of them snorted a slight laugh.

I sarcastically said, "Thanks, my knee really needed that."

"I see you've already met Dusknoir's underlings," said Grovyle.

Val asked, "Sir Dusknoir's?"

Dusknoir entered the room.

"Oh! It's Dusknoir!" said Val.

The head Sableye addressed Dusknoir. "Lord Dusknoir, we've tied the three prisoners to the stakes."

Dusknoir responded, "Good, but this time, I'll do the executing. We can't have a repeat of last time Grovyle and his accomplice were here."

I looked over at Grovyle and said, "Last time?"

He frowned. "Last time I was here, the Sableye accidentally cut our ropes. We escaped shortly after."

Dusknoir said to us, "Yes, and I can't have that happen again."

Val called, "Dusknoir! Why are you doing this to us?"

He ignored her. "It will only be a minute before Dialga comes, then I will be able to proceed."

Grovyle said, "He isn't your friend anymore."

I suddenly came up with an escape plan. Val would hate me for it, but we were running out of options.

I turned to her and I harshly said., "Yeah, I thought that would be _obvious _after he pulled us through that damn hole!"

She looked hurt. "What? You too? Why are you-"

"Being such an asshole?" I said with the most possible scorn, "Because you're a _weak, dumb bitch, _and I bet you couldn't even get your Flamethrower to torch this bastard to my right even _with _Ginseng."

She was angry and flames covered her body. "OH YEAH? WELL EAT THIS!"

She blasted me and Grovyle with a Flamethrower, and also managed to burn through our bindings. Hers were incinerated by her increasing body temperature.

She dropped down with a hiss.

I kindly said, "Thanks for losing your cool, Val."

She suddenly realized what I had made her do, and softened a little. "Did you mean any of those things?"

"Of course not!" I said.

Grovyle said, "I hate to spoil your moment, but-" He pulled out an orb and smashed it against the room was consumed in a blinding flash. I felt someone pull me somewhere. He whispered, "Don't either of you make any noise or movement."

The Sableye said, "We can't see anything!"

Dusknoir said, "It's a Luminous Orb. Its effects will wear off soon enough."

When the shine died down, I still couldn't see, but apparently, our company did.

"Blast! They're gone!" said Dusknoir, "Come! Grovyle couldn't have gotten very far!"

I heard footsteps fading away into the distance.

I was then pulled up out of the ground by Grovyle.

Val was a few feet away, spitting out dirt, as was I.

"Well, I'd say that went fairly well," I said.

"We made it out of that scrape, but if we're to get out of the woods, then we need to hurry out of here," said Grovyle.

We ran out of the room, and Grovyle led us through the complex.

"Come on! This way!"

We ran through twisting corridors and down some stairs. We went out a back door, next to a pile of refuse.

We kept running through a dark forest, and went under a cast-iron archway onto some concrete. I read the sign on the arch.

"Central Park?" I asked.

Val asked, "Grovyle, is this the future?"

We were running down a sidewalk.

"Yes, you catch on quickly," said Grovyle, "I'd explain it all to you, but I don't think we have the time. Run faster!"

Val complained, "I'm running as fast as I can!"

"I concur," I said, "Let's keep this pace."

Val asked, "Will we be able to return home?"

"I don't know," responded Grovyle, "but if we get caught, then that will be the last thing on your mind. Keep running!"

I looked around and saw gigantic steel and stone towers, all decrepit. In fact, some parts of them appeared to be suspended in mid-air. Pieces of ruin were floating above the streets.

Val said, "I'm tired! Can we please rest?"

Grovyle said, "Ugh, fine. Follow me."

He led us down some stairs in the street into the subway.

He said, "We can quickly rest here, they won't be able to see us."

I asked, "What is this place?"

Grovyle said, "I think it's called New York City."

Val asked, "What is New York City, and where is it?"

Grovyle answered, "New York City is, was, a human metropolis, and it's in the human universe."

I asked, "Did you say, 'human?'"

"Yes," said Grovyle, "Our universe, the pokemon universe, was destroyed after time stopped. So we ran away here, and time stopped here, too. It's only a matter of time before this place is destroyed as well. Hurry up, we need to keep moving."

Val said, "Hey, hold on! We never said that we were going to follow you after we got out! We can't follow a bad pokemon like you!"

"Oh, so I'm the bad guy, and Dusknoir's still good? How do you explain his actions, then?"

She shrunk a little. "Uh, well, that doesn't mean I can trust you!"

"Humph. Your trust is going to be hard to gain. I hate to leave you here, but I need to go. I suggest you keep moving. Good luck."

Grovyle ran off.

I turned to Vulpix and said, "Well, now he's gone."

She said, "Don't make it sound like that's a bad thing. I think we should go back to Dusknoir."

I responded, "I'm sorry, but are you not thinking straight? He wanted to kill us!"

"Do we have another choice?"

"We follow Grovyle."

"How do you know we can trust him?"

I sighed. "Look, you're being unreasonable. He knows what he's doing, and if we follow him, then we probably make it back home."

That won her over. "Fine, but that doesn't mean I like it."

"Right, Grovyle went this way," I said as I jumped down onto the rails and started going. Vulpix followed.

* * *

><p>Around thirty minutes later, we came upon an abandoned subway train.<p>

The rear door was open, so I climbed into it.

"Chris," called Val, "I can't get in."

The door was about a foot off the ground, so I helped her in. "Give me your paw."

After I helped her in, we walked down the train.

Around six cars in, we found a note.

It was in plain view, and it read,

_"Randy, Valerie,_

_I know you can't trust me, but I trust you.  
><em>

_This train is pulled into a station, and I'm getting out here. I'm going to try to find my way to the 'airport.'  
><em>

_Good luck._

_-Grovyle"  
><em>

"Chris, what's an airport?" asked Val.

I said, "A place where airplanes take off and land. Grovyle's heading there, and I think we should head there too."

She responded, "But how are we going to find it? I don't know where anything is."

A new voice said, "I believe I can be of some assistance."

We flipped around to face the newcomer, and saw an old Lucario. He had brown eyes, just like mine.

He lit up an Aura Sphere, and its soft blue light illuminated the car.

Val asked, "Who are you?"

"A friend," he said, "You can me Randy, if you'd like, but I'm not very particular."

"Uh-huh," I said, thinking.

He walked through the open side doors onto a station platform.

"Come on, Chris and Val, we've got a pokemon to catch," he called.

Val and I ran up behind him, and I asked, "How do you know our names?"

He said, "I know quite a bit more than that, but I think that it might be a bad idea to explain right now. For now, why don't you just assume I used aura and be done with the hole thing?"

As we walked out of the subway, Val said, "Your eyes are brown, like Chris's."

"You always were the observant one," said Randy.

"Huh?"

Randy shushed us. He then used telepathy. "Shh! Hear that?"

In the distance were the sounds of a battle. Randy closed his eyes, and I felt his aura flare as he searched out who it was. His head appendages vibrated, then stilled.

He opened his eyes and said, "Damn, I can't trust him to stay out of trouble can I? Follow me." He began to run.

As we followed, I asked, "Who?"

"My godson," answered Randy.

* * *

><p>When we made it to the scene of the battle, I saw Grovyle levitating in bindings of purple energy. He looked injured and was unconscious.<p>

"Grovyle!"

I ran up to him, but Randy yelled, "Wait!"

I skidded to a stop as an ethereal voice said, "No, just a little closer, right into my trap!"

"Huh?" asked Val.

"Who's there?"

"We...are...SPIRITOMB."

A purple vortex with a face with green orbs orbiting it showed up. It was all attached to a stone.

"We are the conglomerate of 108 spirits. All TRESPASSERS will be PUNISHED!"

"Watch out, you two, this guy's wicked strong!" warned Randy.

Val and I led in with a Focus Blast/Flamethrower combo while Randy provided cover fire with his Aura Spheres.

Spiritomb attacked with Sucker Punch and knocked the wind out of me.

Val used Imprison and I used Focus Blast again.

Randy defeated Spiritomb with an Aura Sphere.

Spiritomb retreated. Grovyle dropped to the ground.

"Yeah!"

"We did it!"

Randy came up behind us. "Well done, now, let's see what we can do for Grovyle."

While Randy attended to Grvovyle, Val fidgeted.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

She said, "Why did we help Grovyle? He's a bad pokemon, isn't he?"

Randy called over, "The only pokemon you can trust in this world are yourselves and Grovyle, and don't forget that."

"What about you?" I asked.

"Exactly as I said. Anyway, you just fought-"

"-Spiritomb," said Grovyle.

"Why was he attacking you?" asked Randy.

"R-Randy?" asked Grovyle, surprised.

He sighed. "Yes, it's me."

"H-How?" Grovyle asked.

"Your godfather has a few tricks up his sleeves."

I said, "Wait, you're Grovyle's godfather?"

"What?" asked Grovyle.

Randy nodded. "Flora personally asked Valerie and I to be his godparents."

"Flora, I know a Treecko named Flora," said Val.

"I know," said Randy, "Can you stand, Grovyle?"

"I think," said Grovyle as he attempted to stand.

"Was that Spiritomb a bad pokemon?" asked Val.

"No," said Grovyle as Randy helped him up, "He was probably only defending his territory. He lost control because of anger, and then you saw what happened. He would've been good, but the world turned him bad."

Val said, "That's horrible."

"Do you trust Grovyle yet?" asked Randy.

"I-I can't trust him fully," said Val.

"Figures," said Grovyle accusingly.

"But that's only because we don't know anything for certain," I said quickly, "You honestly can't expect anyone to trust something unknown! Explain yourself, Grovyle, and maybe you'll find that we can trust you."

"Listen, we can explain everything later, but we need to get somewhere safe," said Randy, "You two follow me, and Grovyle, just hold tight."

Grovyle, embarrassed that he had to be supported by the Lucario, groaned.

* * *

><p>We walked onwards for about fifty minutes until we reached a steel building that was shorter than all the others and near the water.<p>

"In," commanded Randy.

As we entered, I read the sign near the entrance aloud. "LaGuardia Airport Terminal Three."

Val said, "You can read that?"

"Yeah," I answered. I suddenly realized that the writing I read wasn't the same language as back home. In fact, it more matched the language on my coin.

Randy said, "You'll understand soon enough if you haven't figured it out already."

He sat Grovyle down on one of the many seats of the concourse, and we sat opposite Grovyle and Randy.

I said, "Grovyle, can you please explain the nature of this catastrophe."

Grovyle responded, "I believe that Randy would be better suited to do that."

Randy sighed. "I'll tell you what happened. It all happened before Grovyle's time. In fact, it happened right around your time. Here's what happened..."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note (AN):** _Yeah, I wanted to get this chapter out quickly, so I'm putting the detailed, straight-out, no-need-to-connect-the-fragments explanation in the next chapter. Oh, and I might not be able to get the next chapter out any time soon, because of life. It sucks, doesn't it? Anyways, keep reading, keep reviewing, and keep doing whatever the hell it is you do. This is CrizBN signing off, for now._


	24. Escaping New York

Chapter 24: Escaping New York

"In the beginning, the universe was created. Now, this made a lot of people very angry, and is widely considered to have been a bad move," said Randy. Grovyle and Val face-palmed.

I said, "Can we stay away from quotes?"

He said, "Remembering, are we? Fine, just checking. Anyway, the universe, simplified, has four dimensions. There are the three spatial dimensions: length, width, and depth. These are dimensions that you can easily measure and conceive. They are also concrete. Devilishly tricky to truly change. No matter what you do to a ball of clay, you can't change how much clay there is. Are you following me?"

"I am," I said.

"Not surprising. Val, what about you?" said Randy.

She had spaced out. "I'm sorry, I didn't understand any of it past dimension."

Randy sighed. "Just understand that there are three dimensions of space."

She said, "I think I've got that much."

Randy said, "Good. Now the fourth dimension, time, is is what connects the universe five minutes ago to the universe now."

"I understand," said Val.

"Great, now these four dimensions together make up what is called the fabric of space-time."

Blank looks.

"Now, there is also a fifth dimension, and a sixth."

"How many are there?" I asked.

"Ten, but let's try to concentrate on the first six."

"I can barely understand four!" complained Val.

"Alright, just listen," said Randy, "All you need to know about the fifth and sixth is that these are the dimensions that time travelers use to go through time, space, and between universes. Which reminds me, there are many universes."

"How many?" I asked.

"Hypothetically infinite, but let's concentrate on two for now. The universe you came from, and this one."

"What does all this have to do with the planet's paralysis?" asked Val.

"I'm getting there. I'm going to assume you all know about the legendary pokemon."

"Yeah, they're like supposed to be pretty powerful," I said.

"A few of them have more power than others," said Randy.

"Oh yeah! I heard about this pokemon called Kyogre who has control over the sea!" said Val.

Randy said, "Here's a name for you, Dialga."

My heart raced a little faster. I knew that name from somewhere. "D-Dialga?" asked Val.

"Dialga has reign over time, an entire dimension. In your time, Temporal Tower, Dialga's home, collapsed because of a collision between alternate universes in the sixth dimension. It happens all the time, but it usually only causes a small earthquake. This time, what happened was much more serious. Dialga, angered over how his home was demolished, went berserk and became Primal Dialga. In a blind rage, he caused the planet's paralysis by causing the forth dimension to stop its constant motion. Essentially, he stopped time. This had a catastrophic effect on the universe, and the space-time fabric began to disintegrate. After fifty long years, the universe was about to collapse."

"Then what happened?" asked Val

Randy answered, "When one universe begins to collapse, it actually merges with its sister universe before collapsing, for unknown reasons. Our universe's sister universe was this one. The human universe. Dialga escaped into this one through one of the many dimensional holes that had opened up, and caused the paralysis of this world as well."

I said, "That's incredible. One pokemon can cause all that destruction. That's why power shouldn't be played with."

"This world fell into anarchy, like ours, but now it's all a matter of how long this universe lasts before another one is pulled into this mess."

"Is there anything we can do?" asked Val.

Grovyle said, "I was trying to get to Temporal Tower to prevent all this. But, Primal Dialga has lost all reason, and is only interested in his continued existence, so he prevents history from changing."

Randy said, "He's Dusknoir's boss, and Dialga gave Dusknoir death orders for every pokemon in this room."

"Why us?" asked Val, "We haven't done anything!"

Grovyle said, "But you will. And I have already tried to stop the planet's paralysis. That is why Dusknoir is after us. Dialga clearly wants us dead."

I said, "I still don't see exactly why you were stealing the Time Gears. Doesn't that do the exact _opposite _of what you claim is your intent?"

Grovyle retorted, "You don't understand! If you collect all the Time Gears and place them in their spot at Temporal Tower, then it repairs itself! If I could prevent the collapse of Temporal Tower, then the disaster would never have occurred! Then, after the Time Gears are placed at Temporal Tower, the places where time was disrupted can be restored!"

Val said, "Then, everything Dusknoir said about you being a wanted criminal and all those terrible things were lies?"

Randy said, "He is definitely wanted, but he is not a bad pokemon, I can assure you that. I've known him his entire life."

Grovyle said, "Dusknoir is an agent sent from this potential future by Primal Dialga to get rid of me."

Val said, "But, then, I-I can't, I-" She gasped a little for air. "I looked up to him! I trusted him! How do I know you're not the one who's lying? How do I know that if-"

Randy stood up and walked over to Val. He said, "I was hoping I wouldn't have to do this, but I think this is the only way that I will be able to make you see, dear."

He put a paw against her head. He muttered something, and Val went stiff and began breathing calmly. She then looked up at him with teary eyes, and said, "Are-are you? Truly?"

He then whispered in her ear, "Look at me, and don't tell."

She sat down, and lay quietly. I moved to sit next to her. She looked into my eyes and said, "I'm scared."

I looked back and said, "Me too."

Randy sighed. "I'm willing to bet you two want to go home."

I said, "Is it really a question?"

Grovyle nodded. "Then we need to find Celebi."

I said, "Celebi? Who's that?"

Randy said, "Celebi is the legendary pokemon of time travel. She can get you back home. There's no need for guesswork on her location though, because I already know where she's showing up next. Grovyle, you won't believe this, but it's Paxico."

Grovyle, shocked, said, "You're kidding!"

"What's so special about Paxico?" asked Val.

Grovyle responded, "It's the home of a friend who was very dear to me, but then I lost him."

"Oh," I said, not realizing who he was referring to.

Randy said, "However, before we can leave for Paxico, we're going to need to distract Dusknoir and his subordinates so that we can steal a plane."

I asked, "Why do we need a distraction?"

Randy answered, "A precaution. Now, we're going to need to find a police station."

Grovyle answered, "There was one on the way here."

"Good," said Randy, "Let's go for it."

We got up, the four of us, and walked to the police station.

Going through the streets, I heard the distant calls of the Sableye. Every now and then, Randy would pull us into an alleyway to divert us around some patrols.

After twenty tense minutes of travel, we finally made it to the the station.

Randy tried the door. It was locked.

"Damn!" he cursed under his breath, "We'll need to go around back, we can't risk setting off an alarm."

We went around back and found a fire escape. We all clambered up, helping Val with the ladders, and went into a third floor window.

Randy said, "We're going to need to find the gun cage. It's probably on the ground floor. Follow me."

We ran down the stairs and walked down some corridors until we came upon a door that seemed to have more locks than all the others.

"Bingo. Stand back," said Randy as he charged up an Aura Sphere.

He released an undersized one on the hinge, knocking the door clean off the frame.

"Everybody in."

In the gun cage, there were shotguns, SMGs, pistols, rifles, and police batons. There was also a lot of ammunition for the weapons.

"What's all this?" asked Val.

Randy and I said at he same time, "Guns. Lots of guns."

Randy opened a chest and said, "Don't touch anything! This can kill you!" He turned to me. "Hey, come help me find something explosive."

I leaned into the chest and dug through it. There were rubber bullets used for riot control, some flash-bang grenades, empty magazines for more guns than I could count, and some C4 explosive.

I pulled out the C4. "Is this any good?"

He said, "Yeah, but it's useless without a blasting cap."

"What if you shoot it with something high-powered?"

"Good idea, but we're gonna need to be pretty close if we want to actually hit it, and that means attracting the enemy to our position."

"Sniper rifle."

"Get me a bi-pod."

Val and Grovyle were just standing by, wondering what the hell we were talking about.

* * *

><p>Fifty minutes later, we were on the roof of the building across the street, Randy staring down the scope of a Winchester at the pile of C4 we prepared at the foot of one of the many skyscrapers in the street.<p>

He warned, "This is going to be loud."

He pulled the trigger.

There was an almost ear-shattering boom as the bullet set off the explosives.

I watched the building collapsed forward into the street. Rubble was piled up everywhere in the street, and the building across didn't seem to be in very good shape either. It was already listing towards the street. The dust hadn't even settled when the second building collapsed, causing an incredible noise.

Val and Grovyle were awe-stricken.

"Right. Moving out," said Randy nonchalantly.

* * *

><p>Around fifteen minutes of sneaking with aura later, we were at the airport.<p>

Randy was leading us onto the apron, saying, "I have a plane ready."

When we reached it, it was a Learjet. A small business jet, but quite fast. Randy pulled down the stairs and goaded us in.

When Randy closed the door, he pulled me up to the cockpit.

"Come on, I have some things I'd like to show you."

He gave me a run down on how to be a co-pilot as he taxied the plane into place on the runway.

I called back into the cabin, "Val! You'd better sit down! You too, Grovyle!"

Randy said, "We're punching it!"

He put the throttle all the way forward, and the jet quickly gained speed.

I was sitting in the seat next to Randy, and despite the fact I made the seat go as far up as it could go, I could barely see over the cockpit controls.

"Listen, mate," said Randy with an exaggerated accent, "I believe that you can't see a thing, so I invite you to go on back and give your girl a good time."

"Okay."

I went into the cabin as the plane lifted off.

It was going to be a long flight, but, Randy had a few surprises up his sleeves.

"Hey everyone, I got some lunch! One Apple a piece," he said.

Grovyle, Val, and I each ate one. It was very sweet.

"Mm, thanks," I said, not noticing my voice was getting slurred. I suddenly felt tired.

Val said, "Aren't you going to have one?" as she laid her head on her paws.

Randy laughed. "What? Do you want a sleeping pilot? Why would I eat drugged Apples?"

Sneaky bastard. Grvoyle fell asleep. Val fell asleep. I fell asleep.

Randy chuckled. "Well, I guess that'll take care of them until Paxico. God, if I ever hear, 'are we there yet...'"

* * *

><p>I don't know how long I was asleep, but when I woke up, Val was shaking me.<p>

"Wake up," she said.

"Mmhm."

Randy kicked me lightly. "No time to be lazy, we've arrived."

I opened my eyes and saw that someone had carried me to a forest, and that Grovyle was right next to Randy. Val was, as usual, on top of my lying form.

Randy said, "Good, you're awake." He went into his bag and searched around until he pulled out two items. One was a box, the other a cylinder. He gave them to me. I'm not going to describe them.

"Take these, and don't use 'em until you have to," he said.

"How will I know?" I asked.

"Oh, you'll know," he assured, " Remember, the fuse is five seconds. Now, Grovyle, I need to go. Take care."

"Good-bye, Randy," said Grovyle.

Randy ran off.

Grovyle said, "Just a little farther, and we'll be where Celebi will meet us."

I asked Val, "What did I miss?"

She answered, "Not much. We went through a human town, though, and they were still there! Randy carried you. You looked so cute on his shoulder." She smiled.

I sighed.

"Let's go."

We walked into a clearing. Grovyle called out, "Celebi, are you here? I require your services again!"

No answer.

I commented, "Maybe she was captured..."

A female voice with a southern belle accent called out, "Who? Me? Captured? Why I'd never-"

Celebi appeared in front of us. She was pink and looked like she was made of the forest. She was small.

"Hey, darling," she said to Grovyle, "How you doin'?"

Grovyle blushed. "Uh, Celebi, is the Passage of Time ready for us?"

"It's always ready for you, sweetheart," said Celebi.

Grovyle said, "These two will be coming with me, is that okay?"

Celebi said, "It's fine." She looked at each of us in turn. "Well, you're a nice little ball of fire aren't you," she said at Val.

When she hovered in front of me, however, she disbelievingly said, "No, it can't be."

"What?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing. Come on, y'all. We need to get going!"

Celebi hovered off, and we followed her.

"Grovyle," said Val, "What's the Passage of Time?"

"It's a portal that spans dimensions, and Celebi can use it to travel between universes and through time," he answered.

"Can't you open a portal to anywhere?" I asked, "I mean, it is in a higher dimension, so all you need to do is rip a hole, right?"

Celebi said, "Normally, that's what I do, but when I'm taking someone else, it's much safer to use the Passage of Time instead of the Vortex."

"Vortex?"

"Time Vortex. It's the quickest and most accessible, but also one of the most dangerous, way to travel in space-time. It's what you get when you open up a portal anywhere. Unless you have a vehicle, like a TARDIS, or some kind of protection, like a shield, then you put yourself at risk of being time-fried. Honey, it ain't pleasant. I don't like to talk about it."

"That's okay."

"Anyway, the Passage of Time is a much safer route, but it only has entrances in certain areas. One of them is very close by."

"And we're heading there, right?"

"That's right, sweets."

Grovyle said, "We need to hurry up."

We all quickened our pace, and Celebi whispered, "I'll let you in on a secret. Grovyle's just too hasty. I sometimes wish he'd slow down, you know? I want to spend as much time with him as possible."

When I gave her a sly look, she quickly blushed and said, "Uh.. Oh! I-I don't mean like that... I mean, I don't have any special feelings for him..."

I simply said, "You two would make a good couple, I think."

"You really mean that?" asked Celebi hopefully.

"Yeah. He needs someone to convince him to slow down."

* * *

><p>We went through the forest, and made it to the Passage. There was a sort of aura around the spot where the entrance probably was.<p>

"So, is this the entrance to the Passage?" asked Val.

Celebi said, "Yes."

Grovyle said, "This is the entrance I used the first time I traveled back to your time. Celebi, would you kindly?"

Celebi said, "Okay."

As she walked to the entrance, however, someone familiar appeared at the portal and yelled, "Stop there! That, is, _enough!_"

"Well," I said, "that's a damn shame. I thought we hadn't been followed."

"Dusknoir!" yelled Grovyle.

"Your running has brought you very far," said Dusknoir as he came towards us slowly, "and that explosion in New York was very quick thinking, but I believe that this has gone on long enough."

Some laughing came in from our flanks, and six Sableye entered the area.

"Celebi, I didn't know we were being followed," said Grovyle, "I'm sorry."

Celebi said, "You aren't the kind to apologize, dear, and I'm not the kind to be captured so easily."

I said, "Yeah, Grovyle, you're speaking as if we've already lost!"

We all got together, back to back, as they closed in on us.

"We'll have to fight! Are you ready?"

Val spluttered, "Y-Yes!"

I said, "Come on, Val, now's not the time to be nervous!"

She said, "Are you?"

"Who? Me?" I said, "I'm too cocky for that."

Dusknoir merely laughed, "You still think you have a chance? Surrender now, save your breath while you still have it."

Grovyle said, "We'll never know unless we try! You and me, Dusknoir! Right now!"

Dusknoir called out, "Master Dialga! Come out now! They are HERE!"

The world became black, and Val screamed. It was something about the lighting, but I was too petrified. The entire room had become electrified with an aura of fear. Two red searchlights appeared twenty yards in front of us, and there was an awe-inspiring roar.

"GWOOOOOOOOH!"

The lights came back on, and on the plateau stood an impressive beast, at least 20 feet tall, and quadruped. It leaned its head back and roared. It roared a primal scream, and the diamond in its chest glimmered as it did so.

Val screamed, "What is that thing?"

Grovyle said in disbelief, "That...is...Primal...Dialga."

"So that's the bastard. He did all this," I said.

Val got closer to everyone and whimpered, "That's him?"

Dusknoir taunted, "What's wrong, Grovyle? Where's your bravado now?"

Grovyle was pained. It was on his face. "Oh, my dear Grovyle," said Celebi.

"This is it," said Grovyle, "we're done." His voice sounded as if it were about to cry.

"What?" said Val, "WHY?"

"Dusknor by himself is one thing," said Grovyle, "But _Dialga? _That's...suicidal. You two had kept up so well, and, I'm sorry, but I've let you down. It's over. We have zero chance." Grovyle walked forward. "I surrender. Do as you will to me."

Celebi was awe-stricken, "My d-dear Grovyle!"

I yelled, "Grovyle, are you _MENTAL? _If you give up, do you think it'll be any better than losing?"

Dusknoir sarcastically said, "You're not one to give up so easily, Grovyle. What could have possibly caused you to do such a thing?"

Grovyle, dejected, said, "It's not worth it. Besides, even if I fall, hope is still alive." He turned to Celebi. "Do you remember the first time I came here, Celebi? I was not alone." For some reason, my mind began to feel, aflutter at that point. Like, butterflies in your stomach, but instead in your head. "Someone else came with me."

Celebi said, "I remember clearly."

Val said, "You weren't alone?"

"Yes," said Grovyle, "I went back in time with a partner. He and I went back together, but in the Passage, we were separated."

In my head, I heard an impact, then Grovyle's voice, sounding much more frantic then here, mentally screamed at me, _"HOLD ON!"_

"He should still be in the past, and he will see our mission to the end. He will save the universe."

Dusknoir laughed. "Ha! Ah-ha-ha! Ooh-ha-ha!"

Grovyle growled, "What's so funny, Dusknoir?"

"You say you went into the past with a companion," said Dusknoir, "Could you, tell us his name?" Butterflies, in my head. It was like a storm. My heart was beating in my throat. Something was about to happen, but what was it? I had no clue.

"Why should I?" said Grovyle.

"So you can't do it," tutted Dusknoir.

"Untrue," said Grovyle, "My partner's name is Chris. He is my best friend."

_That's-!_

Val said, "Wh-what? Did you say _Chris? _B-but, this is Chris right here!"

"What?" said Grovyle as he turned to me. "You're Chris? But, you can't be. The Chris I knew wasn't a pokemon, he was a human!"

It all fell into place. _Shit! Holy shit! _My mind was a tornado, all of a sudden, everything became clear to me, my life, my missing life, my situation, and how I came to be here! _And Grovyle never knew. Oh, Grovyle, what have I gotten us into? _ My eyes went wide. _And Dusknoir knew. He played it to his FUCKING advantage, the bastard!  
><em>

Dusknoir laughed heartily. "Precisely. Oh, Grovyle, good fellow, it's _unmistakable _that Riolu is your former human friend!"

"H-How?" demanded Grovyle.

"You see, Grovyle, Master Dialga gave me a mission to get rid of you two. It was because you traveled into the past to change the present. I followed you, and collected intelligence to ascertain your position. Then, I met Team Checkmate," said Dusknoir.

"Yes, headed by Valerie and Randy, right?" said Grovyle.

I said quietly, "Grovyle, that name was an alias. Randy was my favorite character from a book I read in sixth grade. I duped you."

Dusknoir said, "I suspected nothing, until Valerie here spoke of her partner seeing visions."

Grovyle whispered, "The Scream."

"I was skeptical, but an idea began to form, and it was confirmed, when Chris himself told me his name and that he remembered being human. I was convinced at that point. A human that possessed the Scream had to be Christopher. And he had amnesia to boot! That was a lucky stroke for me. That accident must've somehow given him amnesia and turned him into a pokemon."

I was outraged by this point. I stuck my hand into my bag and fished around for something. I found it and held it behind my back.

"He was so far in, that he didn't even recognize me or you! It was a very simple task to win over his trust and use him to capture you. And now, here we are. Everything will end when you and Chris are FINALLY DEAD! No more hope! No more chance! History will remain constant!"

Val shakily said, "He really was lying..."

Grovyle stood angrily.

I yelled, "YOU BASTARD! YOU KNOW DAMN WELL THAT THE INCIDENT WAS NO ACCIDENT! Your spell, or whatever the _fuck _that ball was, may have turned me into a pokemon, but guess what? You still need to work on the memory loss! BECAUSE I REMEMBER, NOW!"

Everyone turned to me, and screamed, "What?"

I kept running with it, "Oh yeah, Dusky, you've gotten quite some revenge on me, haven't you? Too many baseball bats to the head, eh?"

While Dusknoir fumed, I whispered, "Celebi, on my go, teleport us into the Passage, and make sure to keep our eyes and ears covered."

"But, Dialga will be able to expose us then," she said.

I said, "It's a necessary risk, now, do you agree?"

Celebi nodded, and Grovyle said, "It'll have to do." Val stood at my side, and said, "Chris, I don't even know what's going on anymore. Get us home, please."

Dusknoir said, "None of this matters! You will all be eliminated!" He and the Sableye began to close in.

I yelled, "HEY DUSKY! I got a present for you!" I threw the cylinder at him. I then threw him the pin.

I counted off four seconds.

"NOW!" I screamed.

A fraction of a second before the flash-bang grenade detonated, Celebi teleported us to the Passage. In that split second, A blinding light and deafening blast consumed Dusknoir and his minions in a cloud of non-lethal white ringing. Dialga realized what we had done, and swiftly broke our passage. We were thrown five feet short of the Passage entrance, now in full swing.

Val said, "We were so close!"

Dusknoir and his minions were beginning to recover from the grenade, and Dusknoir said, "There they are!"

Celebi said, "GO NOW! You can make it now! The Passage of Time is open! You can travel back to your time!"

Grovyle said, "But what about you, Celebi?"

"Don't worry, dearest, you know I can't be caught," said Celebi.

I said, "Thank you, Celebi, for everything." Grovyle, Val, and I dived into the portal.

We went through the Passage's relative safety, and waited for our return to the past.

* * *

><p>In a Different Place, But Very Near-By<p>

A madman in a box leaned against the console and sighed. He always hated having to use the Passage. Too boring. The vortex always gave a good, fun, rolly, bouncy ride. The Passage was just, so, plain. The almost-millennial man readjusted his bow-tie, and looked at the external camera. He was surprised to see three figures pass by. The Doctor leaned back into a bench and shook his head. That was interesting, but he needed to head to the rift in Cardiff for re-fueling. _Just can't catch a lucky break, can I?_

* * *

><p>"Did either of you see a blue box pass by?" I asked as the object disappeared into the distance.<p>

My traveling companions nodded.

"Good, I thought I might be going mad."

The trip was mostly uneventful until we encountered some rough conditions. I blacked out. The Passage and I do not mix.

* * *

><p><em>AN: So, am I dead for having two sci-fi cameos? Or am I still alive? You know what, let's make that three cameos. Anyway, I don't really have much to say about this, except that there really are ten dimensions, and that it is actually not all that confusing. So, next chappy Saturday? At worst next Saturday. All right, I'll sign off now._

_Word Count: 4888  
><em>


	25. Back

Chapter 25: Back

I heard the gentle crashing of waves, I smelled saltiness, I felt the sun shining above me and the sand below me, and I felt like shit. I knew that my body was sprawled out on the sand. Very uncomfortably so.

I slowly got up and complained, "Time travel's a _bitch!"_

I looked around and saw I was at the beach. The first thing I saw the first time I was here. Well, other than Val. Back then I knew nothing.

Now I was painfully aware of everything.

I racked my memories of what had happened to bring me here, and remembered.

"Val? Grovyle?"

"Urk."

Val was in a heap next to Grovyle. She looked okay, but her bandages needed replacing. Grovyle looked a little worse, but he didn't seem to be hurt by the travel. He was also wearing bandages, something I hadn't noticed until now.

_Randy, err, I? No, I'll just keep calling him, err, future me, Randy. He must've bandaged him up._

I examined myself and saw I was fine. Gauze might need to be fixed up, though.

"Chris, where are we?" asked Val.

I smiled. "Take a look."

She looked around and brightened up immediately. "Oh! We're back! We're home!"

I corrected, "You're home. I'm as far as possible from where I came from."

She seemed a little down at that. "Oh."

Grovyle began to stir. "Ugh."

I went up to him. "Hey, Grovyle. You alright?"

"I'm fine," he said as he stood up. I was around his size, now that I was a pokemon. He was actually somewhat taller, though.

I said, "That's great! If you haven't noticed where we are, we're at the beach. This is the first place I was at in this world. Val found me here."

She said, "Yup!"

"We made it!" I said.

Grovyle said, "So we did."

I said, "In fact, we're only a couple yards from where I washed up the first time. Right over near Beach Cave." Beach Cave was only a few meters off from the beach.

"So that's what happened is it? I landed in the sea during a wicked storm. I had to swim to shore and waited it out in Beach Cave."

Val said, "That storm, it couldn't have been the one the night before Chris showed up, could it?"

I said, "Probably. That typhoon brought me into shore, somehow. Had you waited another day before leaving, Grovyle, you'd probably have found me."

Grovyle said, "You're kidding!"

Val said, "Nope! Hey, I'm still confused by all this time travel. Can you explain it to me? I know! We can talk at the Guild! We roomed there, so they'll know us, and you can explain everything there! Let's go!"

She began to go, but Grovyle said, "Wait."

She stopped, and asked, "What?"

Grovyle explained, "I don't think I'd be very well received at the Guild. I _am _an outlaw, after all."

I said, "That does seem like a problem doesn't it? I'm not even sure you could go into Treasure Town without causing an uproar."

Val sighed. "That's a good point. Everyone at the Guild would try to capture you. Then what can we do?"

She then perked up as if she had an idea. "Oh! I've got it! There's a place we can go to," she said, but then she lost her perk and continued, "but we'll need to go through Treasure Town."

Grovyle said, "If we sneak through and don't get caught, then it should be fine."

"Yeah, it's not illegal if you don't get caught, right?" I said.

Val looked at me and said, "That sounds like what a thief would say."

"Thieves are what Grovyle and I agreed to become," I responded.

Grovyle nodded. "Although you've changed so much, you're still the same, Chris."

I said, "You know it."

* * *

><p>We went through the town without being detected. It was still early morning, so that might've helped. Val took us out to a cliff.<p>

"We're here, and nothing seems out of place," she said.

I asked, "Where exactly is here?"

"This is Sharpedo Bluff, named so because it is in the shape of a Sharpedo." She went over to a bush and moved it aside, revealing an entrance.

"Well," I said, "That's smart hiding."

"After you."

I went down some stairs after Grovyle and looked around.

It was a homey place, underground, but still well-lit because the room had half of its walls missing, offering a view of the sea.

The view was amazing.

Grovyle said, "I see, a hollow space in the cliff."

As Val came in, I said, "This is a _great _place you've got here."

She looked around and sighed contently. "And no one's been around to mess it up, either. Phew. That goes to show how far out of the way this place is."

I said, "So, we can stay here?"

"It's probably best," said Grovyle.

We set up some beds and started a fire. It took quite some time, and by the time we were settled in, it was night.

"So, Grovyle," I said as I threw a stick onto the fire, "What did I miss?"

Val said, "Could you start from the beginning please? I still have no idea what's going on."

Grovyle said, "Chris and I were investigating the stopping of time."

I said, "I distinctly remember there also being a mad Professor."

Grovyle laughed, "Yes, you took a liking to him, I think."

"Yeah. He said the world's fate rested on the shoulders of a boy and his pokemon. But in this case, I really think I was your human." I chuckled.

Val said, "So you remember?"

I said, "Yeah."

Grovyle continued, "Chris had, has, a special ability."

"The Dimensional Scream," I said.

"Yes. If you remember, Chris, that ability was _vital _in locating the Time Gears. But, there was a drawback. It required a trusted partner to be useful. That's why we worked together."

Val said, "But, if it needs a trusted partner, then why did it work shortly after Chris and I met?"

"It just shows how much he trusted you," said Grovyle.

She sighed, "It's a little embarrassing if you put it that way..."

"I think it's kind of cute, actually," said Grovyle.

"If that's how you see it..." I sighed. "So, I don't think we have any Time Gears."

Grovyle sighed. "No. Unfortunately, they were all taken when I was captured."

"So, we're going to need to get them again?" I asked, adding, "This time without killing each other, maybe?"

Val said, "Please."

"Ugh, fine. We'll go in the morning. But, I don't want to hurt either of you, I hope you understand that," said Grovyle.

I chuckled. "We know that. We're just messing with you. But, I think there's something a little strange going on in this universe."

Val asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, Grovyle, back in my world, didn't the Scream work only with Time Gears?"

He nodded. "Yes. It was a sure-fire indicator. Without a Time Gear involved, it wouldn't go off."

Val said in realization, "Wait, but, it worked without a Time Gear loads of times!"

"Really?" asked Grovyle.

"Oh yeah, near Drowzee..." I started.

"...Waterfall Cave..." continued Val.

"...and there was that one time at Fogbound, but I guess that was in the area of a Time Gear," I finished.

Grovyle thought a moment. "The Scream must work differently in this time period."

"Or possibly this entire universe," I said, "You did say your universe was separate from mine. Different universes, different laws."

"You may have a point," said Grovyle, "Anyway, we worked together to find the Gears, and then we traveled to Celebi to travel through the Passage of Time to save time."

"You know what our plan was, Val," I said.

"Yes," said Val, "Steal the Time Gears and take them all to Temporal Tower."

Grovyle nodded. "Good. Now, when we traveled through time, something happened."

I shivered. "I can barely remember that part, but I think it was an attack from Dusknoir's combined with in-flight turbulence."

Grovyle said, "We were separated, and I went on, by myself. You clearly met Chris, and you know the story from there."

"Oh boy, it all sounds so crazy telling it, doesn't it?" I said.

Grovyle said, "I know that you've changed, but that doesn't change that you're my friend. I worried about you, constantly. I'm glad to see you're okay." This was clearly directed towards me.

I said, "Grovyle, I'm glad to see that you're doing well, too. Let's get some rest, okay?"

Val said, "Okay, good night everybody."

Grovyle said, "Good night."

We all got to sleep.

* * *

><p>Welcome to Val's Head<p>

I woke up early the next day. It was twilight and the sun hadn't even risen. Chris and Grovyle were still asleep. I got up and went onto the clifftop. I looked out and thought for a while about everything that had happened. Had it happened, or was I just dreaming?

"Already up?"

I turned around to see Grovyle. I said, "Yep."

"What are you doing up here?"

"Just thinking. About everything."

"It helps to think about things."

Suddenly, the world began to light up.

I said, "Oh! The sun's rising!"

The sun rose, but it was over the land. My house overlooked the sea to the west, so it got a view of the sunset. It was still beautiful though.

"Wow, I never thought a sunrise could be so refreshing! Guess our time in the future did that."

"Yes. Valerie, the first time I saw the sun rise, I cried, it was so beautiful to me. It showed me what I was fighting to protect and renewed my resolve."

"It must've been life changing."

"It was. Seeing this sunrise, it reminds me to never give up. I'll never give up like I did when we faced Dialga."

I said, "I'll never give up, so long as I have Chris."

Grovyle turned to face me. He wore a doleful smile. "Enjoy your time with him. You never know when it might end. Like the sun, nothing is permanent."

I sighed. "Let's go wake up Chris. He hates waking up alone."

As I walked down the stair, Grovyle said, "You really care for him, don't you?"

I stopped, and said, "Yes. I care for him."

As I started again, Grovyle said, "As a friend, or as something more?"

I kept walking, because I was afraid to answer.

I walked up to Chris's bed and gently shook him up.

"Wake up, sleepy-head..."

* * *

><p>Welcome to Chris's Head<p>

After we got ready, we started planning.

"So," I said, "Time Gear thievery. What's our plan on that?"

"Before we do anything," said Grovyle, "We need to decide on a Time Gear to steal."

"Let's check the Wonder Map," suggested Val.

"Got it." I opened the map and laid it out on the floor. Val pointed out Fogbound Lake.

"I think that's the Time Gear closest to us right now."

Grovyle shook his head. "The one in Treeshround Forest is a better bet."

I said, "Where's that on the map?"

Grovyle pointed somewhere north of Fogbound in a bunch of trees. "Here. Treeshroud's Time Gear is unguarded. This would mean that fewer pokemon would notice if it's stolen."

"Yeah, fighting someone would definitely catch attention," said Val.

"So, are we going to Treeshroud?" I confirmed.

"Yes," said Grovyle.

* * *

><p>Treeshroud Forest: Entrance<p>

As we walked up, Grovyle said, "We're here. This is the entrance to Treeshroud Forest."

I looked around. We stood in a clearing. A path led deeper into the forest we were walking through, presumably off of the path and into a dungeon. There was no way to really tell. To our right, there was a Kangaskhan Rock.

"Oh?"

Val asked, "What is it, Grovyle?"

"It's probably my imagination, but something seems different..." He shook his head. "It's nothing. We'll go when you're ready."

"If you say so," I said.

I went over and dumped all but the essentials and took out what I needed at the Rock.

"I'm ready, you all ready?"

Val said, "Yeah."

"Let's go," said Grovyle as he led us into Treeshroud Forest.

This was the first conventional mystery dungeon I'd gone through in a while. It took a while for me to warm up to conventional combat again. Plenty of grass types and some dark and psychic types. The only notable thing was that Grovyle was amazingly powerful. Unfortunately, he let me and Val do most of the work.

"You need the training," he would say whenever we asked for help.

He'd help out, but only when I or Val absolutely needed it. Unfortunately, according to Grovyle, that was only when we were about to faint.

Val had a close call with a Ninetales, but Grovyle refused to go near her, so I had to help out. I thought it was funny because Val would become one, eventually, but she didn't share my view on it at the time.

Anyway, when we got to he deeper part of Treeshroud, something shocked us.

"T-that's impossible!"

"But there it is..."

Time was at a standstill.

"But," said Val, "before we were dragged into the future with you, didn't they put the Time Gear back?"

"It might not be there..." I said, "Grovyle, where was the Time Gear the last time you were here?"

"Just ahead," he said.

We all ran behind Grovyle to where the Time Gear was, and were shocked to see that the Time Gear was right there.

"If the Time Gear's returned," said Val, "Then why hasn't time been restored?"

"Time is supposed to go back to normal," said Grovyle.

I said, "Maybe you need to bring the Gear to Temporal Tower first, or maybe there's something else. Either way, we're taking it, right?"

"True," said Grovyle. He went up to the Time Gear and reached out for it.

Suddenly, I heard some rustling behind us.

"Someone's coming," I said, "I think we should hide!"

We all jumped off the path and into some bushes. The Time Gear was left in its place.

Two pokemon walked up the path. A Treecko and a Bagon. I knew who they were, but they seemed older than I remembered.

"Dammit, Flora," said Steele, "Why is time stopped here?"

Val gasped, but I quickly clamped a paw over her mouth.

Flora whipped around. "Did you hear that?" asked Flora.

"No, what was it?" asked Steele.

Flora sighed, "Probably some grass types. It's nothing, I hope."

"Good," Steele said as he relaxed, "So, can we go now? Time's stopped. We've figured that out, let's go."

"But we still need to figure out why..." Flora seemed as if she had lost hope.

"I don't think we'll ever figure that out! Let's go!" Steele seemed angry, and tired.

"Checkmate wasn't always like this. But.." Flora sighed. "Ugh. Fine, let's go."

They walked away.

A few minutes later, we went back out. While Grovyle grabbed the Gear, Val and I discussed what happened.

"Wow," said Val, "How long were we gone? They seemed older."

"I don't know," I said, "But I think you should ask around Treasure Town about what happened after the incident when we get back. Discreetly too."

"Huh? What do you mean by discreet?"

"Well, you can damn well go around asking, 'Hey, what happened after that thing in the square?' That would obviously be you. You'd need to ask in a more casual way, like, 'Yeah, I how long has it been since the Time Gears were placed back?'"

"You know what you're doing, why don't you ask around?" bargained Val.

"Brown eyes," I said, "I'd go, but I don't look like a normal Riolu in conversation. You, however, appear relatively normal. And Grovyle's out of the question, for obvious reasons."

She sighed. "Okay, I'll go. When we get back, I'll go out into town and ask around."

"Make sure no one knows its you," I said, "You'd cause an uproar if everyone found out you're back. We're missing, remember?"

* * *

><p>Welcome to Val's Head<p>

When we got back to Treasure Town, Chris and Grovyle sneaked back to the Bluff while I walked into Treasure Town. I wore Chris's headband as a scarf by his request and left my treasure bag with him.

_"You can't go in dressed as you were, can you?"_

He was right, I guess. I walked into the intersection leading from the Town Square to the Guild and went up to the well. There was only one pokemon there. Corphish was loitering there, as usual. He looked at me, and asked, "Val?"

I looked around as if I were searching for someone. I then said, "Who's that?"

_"If anyone mentions you, act as if you have barely any knowledge you exist. Act as if you're someone else."_

"Hey, hey, hey," said Corphish, "sorry about that, you reminded me of a friend of mine."

"Oh," I said.

"Hey, hey. You see, Val was a Vulpix, just like you, and she went missing last year with her partner, Chris. He was a Riolu.

"Were they nice?"

"Oh, they were the up and coming stars of the Guild. Wigglytuff's Guild. Just up there." Corphish pointed towards the Guild.

"What happened?"

"It was huge. You ever hear of the great explorer Dusknoir?"

I almost cringed at his name. "Yes, he was pretty cool."

"Yeah, he had just apprehended the Time Gear thief Grovyle, and he was about to go to the future, but then he called up Val and Chris."

"Then what?"

"Everyone says they fell in, but I'm tellin' ya, he pulled them in to the Dimensional Hole."

"No way!"

"Yes, swear on my soul, be damned by Kyogre. Those two, they weren't the kind to just trip. Chris though, he was a little, well, odd."

"How so?"

"He swore half the time he was human." Corphish chuckled. "Kind of tragic, really. No idea where he was from, and the kid had amnesia."

"That's so sad."

"Yeah, even worse, after the square, when Uxie, Mespirit, and Azelf-"

"Who?"

"Hey, hey, hey! Almost forgot! They're guardians of the Time Gears. Anyway, after they returned the Gears, time didn't keep going."

"What?" I shrilly asked.

"Time stayed stopped. They returned the right Gears and everything, but time refused to go again. Even worse, is that the stopping is spreading, pokemon are being uprooted as time stops in their homes. Been seeing a lot of new pokemon pass through Treasure Town."

"Really?"

"Yes. Hey, hey. You look just like Val. I mean, you could be her younger sister!"

"How old is she?"

"Now, she'd be around a year older than you look. About thirteen. Her partner's probably ten, but no one ever figured out how old he was."

"Wow," I said, "I need to go."

"Hey, hey, hey! I didn't even get your name!"

I started walking away. I said, "I didn't get yours!"

"Corphish!"

_Crud, now I need to tell _him _a name. _"I'm-" Q_uick - think! _"Sal."

"Hey, hey, hey. That's a nice name, see you later!"

"Good-bye, Corphish."

After I left Corphish, I dived into Spinda's Cafe.

It was more crowded than usual. I walked up to Spinda's counter and looked around.

"Can I help you?" asked Spinda casually.

"Oh, I don't have anything with me," I said.

A familiar voice from behind said, "If you want something, maybe I can help you out."

I turned around to see Flora. She was looking at me. "Uh, no, really, that's okay."

"Please, be my guest," said Flora. She pushed three apples Spinda's way.

Spinda mixed up three apple juices in record time and gave them to Flora. Spinda quickly wheeled around to faced some other customers.

"Come on," said Flora, "I have someone waiting for me."

I sighed. "O-okay.

Flora led me to a small corner table where Steele was lounging impatiently. As Flora set the apple juices on the table, he looked at me intently, but shook his head.

"Flora," asked Steele, "who's this?"

"Oh, this is just someone." She turned to face me. "Well, come on, I got you some juice. Why don't you take a spot at the table?"

"Uh, okay. Thanks." I sat at the table.

"You look just like somebody I used to know..." said Steele.

"That's what Corphish said. Do you know him?"

"Yeah," said Steele, "we know him. You look just like this Vulpix called Val."

Flora said, "She'd be a bit older than you today. If she's still around. She's been missing for over a year now."

"She and her boyfriend," said Steele, "Kid was too young to be dating someone twelve, I mean, he was only, what? Nine?"

"He never said how old he was," said Flora, "Anyway, what's your name?"

I took a sip of apple juice. "Sal."

"Nice name," said Flora, "I'm Flora and this is Steele."

Steele looked at me over his juice.

"Steele, don't be a jerk."

"Well, sorry," he said, clearly annoyed. "It's just the world is _ending! _Excuse me if I'm not the nicest pokemon in the world!"

Flora sighed. "The world's not ending..."

"Time is stopping! I can't even go to my own _home _anymore!"

"I'm sorry," I said.

"You're not sorry! Your home wasn't-" He turned away. "I'm leaving." Steele downed the rest of his juice and stormed out of the cafe.

"Steele! Come back!" Flora went to chase him.

I stared at my drink, and decided now was a good time to leave.

* * *

><p>Welcome to Chris's Head<p>

Val came down the hatch, and recounted everything.

"Wait," I said, "Everyone thinks I'm ten?"

"Uh," said Val, "Yeah."

"I'm fourteen!"

Grovyle coughed, "You seem younger as a pokemon."

"Hey!"

Grovyle quickly said, "We have other things to worry about. If time's not restarting, then Temporal Tower must be collapsing."

I quickly sobered up. "That's not good."

"Even worse is that the stopping is spreading," said Val.

Grovyle frowned. "The problem is accelerating. We need to hurry up. I'll need to collect the Time Gears, alone, while you two search for the Hidden Land."

This was new. "Okay. I'm not entirely sure what that is."

Grovyle said, "Temporal Tower is said to be in the Hidden Land."

"Great!" I paused. "Where is it?"

"I don't know. _Hidden _Land, remember?"

"Oh," said Val, "I guess we'll have to search for it."

"Grovyle, if you're leaving, then can we enlist the help of the Guild?" I asked.

Grovyle thought a moment. "That would probably be best. We have no clues as to the Hidden Land's location, so getting as many resources as possible would be wise."

"So," I said, "You're leaving, Grovyle?"

"Yes," he said, "You can't come, I'm sorry."

"That's okay," I said, "So, Val and I'll search for the Hidden Land while you get the Time Gears, right?"

"Right," said Grovyle, "Goodbye, you two."

And with that he was gone.

Val said, "We should probably go, too, Chris."

"Okay, let's head to the Guild."

* * *

><p>Fifteen minutes later found us standing in front of the Guild building. We were about to walk over the grate.<p>

"Do you think they'll believe us, you know, if we tell them everything?" I asked.

Val looked at me and said, "I'm not sure if they'll _want _to. I know I didn't."

"Well, then, let's hope for the best," I said, "Ladies first?" I extended an arm towards the grate.

She smiled and walked onto the grate.

"Footprint detected! Footprint detected!" _Deja vu._

"Whose footprint? Whose footprint?"

"The footprint is Vulpix's! The footprint is Vulpix's!"

"I heard there's a VULPIX in town. ARE YOU SAL?"

I smiled and nodded at Val.

"That's what I told everyone!" she said

I walked onto the grate without prompting, and said, "But I told her to lie!"

"WHO'S THAT?"

"W-what? I-It's-!"

"Diglett! Where are you DIGGING?"

Suddenly, Diglett popped up next to us out of the ground.

"Val! And Chris too!"

I smiled, and said, "Ding-ding, we have a winner!"

"HOLY-"

I heard a slight rumbling as the doors to the Guild opened. Loudred stood there and said, "You two are ALIVE!"

The rest of the Guild followed out and they were instantly on us. Everyone was asking questions, and Bidoof was blubbering, and it was all a whole lot.

Everyone stopped when Chatot came out, followed by Wigglytuff.

Wigglytuff smiled, and said, "Welcome home!"

I smiled back and said, "Well, home is where the heart is. But I think we'll need to save the reunion for later; we have serious news to share with you."

* * *

><p>Fifteen more minutes found us in the commons room. Chatot was staring at us disbelievingly, along with pretty much the rest of the Guild. I had asked them to save reactions for when we're done.<p>

"-and that's all we have to say about that right now," I said to finish up.

"SQUAWK! What?" said Chatot at the first chance he had, "What was that?"

"Ahem. Allow me to summarize what you just said and straighten out anything you may have gotten wrong," said Chatot.

"OK..." said Val.

"First, you say Grovyle's actually a good pokemon, and that he was collecting the Time Gears to save the world?"

I said, "Actually, a couple of universes."

"Ri-i-ight. And _the _Dusknoir, he was only pretending to be nice and helpful, but he was actually a terrible, wicked villain?"

"Well, I wouldn't've used that vocabulary, but, you see, he was only helpful and friendly because that helped him to his terrible goal."

"And, Chris, you were Grovyle's partner, and you too are from the future?"

"And also that parallel universe."

"So, Dusknoir was trying to get rid of Chris and Grovyle, and therefore took them to the future?"

"Actually, a step further. Into the _other _universe. And, Val was dragged along too."

"Then you managed to escape-"

"Barely."

"-and you met a future version of Chris who helped you back? _And_ you say that its only been a few days for you two even though you've been missing for a _year?"_

"It sounds crazy, but, that's time travel."

"_And _you say we need to find the "Hidden Land" so that we can get to Temporal Tower to save the universe while Grovyle's out collecting the Time Gears again? Is that everything?"

I nodded and said, "That's about it, yeah. Minus some unnecessary details."

"..." After about two seconds, Chatot started laughing, "Bwah-hah! Hee! Hee-hoo!"

I sighed. _I knew this would happen._

"Chris! Val! You must be exhausted," laughed Chatot, "You must've had a terrible dream!"

"Why don't you head to your room and get some rest? We kept a couple of beds ready for you all this time."

I said, "Now, that's really thoughtful of you, but _we're not lying."_

Val said, "Yeah, we're telling the truth! All of that was true!"

"Of course you are," said Chatot in a way that was incredibly disbelieving, "You two must be suffering from exhaustion! I don't know where you've been all this time, but you've clearly had a terrible year. A good nap will fix that!"

I yelled, "We don't have _time _for this! Temporal Tower is going to collapse!"

"That's _ENOUGH!" _yelled back Chatot, "Is there any part of your story that's even _remotely _possible? You've mentioned all these places, New York City, Paxico, the Hidden Land, I'm the Guild's head of intelligence and _I've _never heard of these places! Dusknoir's too kind to do any of these things you've accused him of!"

"I know," said Val, "I couldn't believe it either. It's a hard thing to accept, but you need to-"

"STOP! I don't _care _what _you _say," yelled Chatot, "The great Dusknoir, the villain? I cannot believe that! Don't you two feel the same way?" He looked at Val and me. "How can you think of him as evil?"

"We think of Dusknoir quite highly," said Dugtrio, "We can't believe you."

"See? Everyone shares this opinion! Why don't you just stop this ridiculousness?"

I stepped back from the crowd, looked everyone in the eye and said, "I, personally, think he's a right _jerk _who can go jump in a lake. He dragged us into that portal! You all saw! He jumped forward, grabbed me and Val by our _necks, _mind you, said a one-liner, then pulled us in!"

"Hey, hey," said Corphish, "I've been thinking that too. I mean, I'm still not sure if Dusknoir's evil, but I _saw _those two get pulled in. You've all been saying they tripped, but I swear that's not what happened!"

"Now that you mention it," said Sunflora, "Omigosh! They _were_ dragged in! Why would Dusknoir do that?"

"HEY! Maybe what they said WAS TRUE!" said Loudred.

"What?" said Chatot, "Are you believing _them _now?"

"..."

"Well, what's your answer?"

_And here we are on Final Jeopardy, and the contestants are about to give their answers!_

"Um, I believe them," said Bidoof, "I really looked up to Dusknoir, and, golly, the whole thing seems pretty crazy, but I think that the whole idea seems sound."

"So, you're believing that Dusknoir's evil?" said Chatot.

Bidoof shrunk back a little. "Golly, well, I think that, Val and Chris are more important than all this, so I believe them."

"Wh-what?"

"Hey, hey, hey! I believe them too!"

"I'M WITH THEM!

"Omigosh! Me too!"

"Oh, Corphish, Bidoof, Loudred, Sunflora, thanks!" said Val.

Everybody began saying they believe us.

I smiled, and looked at Chatot, who had quickly realized he was losing control.

"SQUAWK!"

"Well, hiya!" said Wigglytuff, "It seems we all agree!"

"Eh?"

"We all agree our friends, that's great! Let's start searching for the Hidden Land!"

"Now HOLD ON, Guildmaster!" said Loudred.

"What?"

"I'm not sure Chatot here BELIEVES these two!"

Chatot sighed. Wigglytuff said, "Oh no, I'm sure he believed their story from the start, right?"

Chatot seemed like he was under a lot of stress.

I looked over at Chatot and said, "Hey, don't stress if you were a skeptic, who wasn't? You can't automatically believe just anything, can you? Even if it is from a friend. You need to consider all the facts and come to a conclusion." I walked over and placed a paw on his wing. "Besides, you're the head of intelligence, right? Need to-" But I was cut off by a vision, or something, because I suddenly began shivering.

Chatot looked at me and said, "Chris? Are you all-" but then he started shivering too.

* * *

><p>Suddenly, everything fell away, and Chatot and I were left floating in a white void.<p>

"SQUAWK!"

"What the hell?"

"What's going on?"

I looked around and saw that Chatot was fine, but we weren't anywhere. I looked at myself, but my form seemed more smoky, as if it wasn't sure what it was.

"What's wrong with _you?"_

I said, "I think that this might be a side effect of the Dimensional Scream ability. An overload or something."

"But that doesn't explain why you're growing."

It was true. I was getting taller. My incorporeal self. Either that or Chatot was getting smaller.

"It's just a vision," I said, "Nothing's going to hurt us here, I think."

"Are you alright?" asked Chatot.

"I'd ask you the same question," I said as I sat down, "Just relax, these visions usually don't last long, but this isn't a normal vision."

"What do you mean?"

"Normally, the Scream is a solo experience, nobody comes along, and you don't have a form."

My form in the vision stabilized.

"SQUAWK?"

"What?" I looked at myself, and saw something crazy.

I was human. I was wearing my jacket, and my jeans, and I was holding a picture in one hand.

"The fuck?"

"Chris! SQUAWK! Are you Chris? This isn't normal! What's wrong with you?"

"This is who I was. Before Dusknoir," I said, as I leaned back and outstretched my arms. I looked at the picture. It was of me and Grovyle. I showed it to Chatot.

He looked at it, and said, "The thief, Grovyle, and-"

"Me."

* * *

><p>I was a Riolu again. The vision faded, and Chatot and I were back standing in the Guild. Everyone was looking at us, and Val said, "Chris why were you and Chatot shivering just then?"<p>

I looked over at Chatot. "Did you see-?"

"The vision- Squawk..."

"Do you believe me and Val?"

"Yes," said Chatot.

"What happened, friends?" asked Wigglytuff.

I said, "I'm not sure, but if I explained it, I think that no matter what I said you'd think I was crazy. Just, let's get on with this please. Is it all right if I tell you later?"

"Okay." Wigglytuff was an understanding kind of pokemon. "Friends!" he said to everyone, "Time is stopping in more and more places. From the story of these two, we know that the world is in danger. This means we need to take action. Now is the time! In the name of Wigglytuff's Guild, we will discover the Hidden Land!"

"YEAH!"

"Chatot!"

"Y-Yes sir!" Chatot got ready to tell everyone everything, but then two pokemon came down the stairs. Flora dragged Steele into the commons room.

"Oh no," said Flora, "We missed something. I knew you shouldn't have run off, Steele."

I said, "Don't worry, you haven't missed all that much."

Steele said, "Holy- Val! Chris! You're back!"

Val said, "Hey."

I said, "Did you miss us?"

Steele went up to me and tackled me. He couldn't do much other than that. "Of course we missed you! You two are our teammates!"

Flora hugged Val, "You're back!"

I chuckled. "Chatot's about to explain what we need to do, you two. We can explain everything afterwards."

The four members of Team Checkmate got into the crowd of guild members. We were back at full strength again. Chatot got ready to explain our goals in detail.

But best of all, we were back.

_A/N: Right, I really have no excuse for taking this long for an update, you know? I decided to make this chapter end more softly because it was the quickest way to end and well, I really want to get this chappy out. Well, enjoy, read, and review the chapter if you would like writing similar to this. Anyway, for those of you keeping count (this one's really cool), W/C: 6666  
><em>

_This is CrizBN, signing off.  
><em>


	26. Finding a Way

Chapter 26: Finding a Way

Welcome to Val's Head

"Ahem. Now that's out of the way," said Chatot, "I shall tell all of you our plans for searching for the Hidden Land."

"You cooked one up so quickly?" asked Chris.

"Uh, no," said Chatot, "We were going to base it on whatever information you have on the possible location of the Hidden Land."

Chris gave everyone a sheepish grin. "Oh, well, that's kind of funny, because, you see, we have no clue where it is."

Everyone groaned, and Steele said, "Only you, Chris."

Flora asked, "What is the Hidden Land, anyway?"

"Oh, the Hidden Land is where we need to go to get to Temporal Tower in order to prevent its collapse, thus preventing time from grinding to an apocalyptic halt," said Chris.

"Are you kidding me?" asked Steele.

Chatot said, "He's telling the truth."

"So, back to plans," said Chris, "Do you know of anyone who might know about the Hidden Land?"

Chatot thought for a moment, then said, "There is Torkoal, the town elder. He lives at the Hot Spring. He might know. He's the wisest and oldest pokémon in Treasure Town."

"We met him," I said, "On our first exploration."

"Alright, I'll go meet him," said Chris, "I'll be right back."'

He ran out of the Guild.

"I'll go see if I can catch up to him," I said.

I sighed as I left the Guild. As I began running, I thought about how this job was beginning to consume Chris. It was all he would think about.

_Sometimes, he throws in a joke or something, but sometimes I wish he'd just slow down. I want to spend time with him. Maybe he'd kiss me again? Oh, Arceus! What am I thinking? That dog can't possibly-_

* * *

><p>At the edge of Treasure Town I saw him waiting. He was standing there, leaning against a tree. I looked at him with observing eyes. His black chest raised and depressed as he breathed, his blue tail stuck out to the left, and his brown eyes were pointed skyward. I always wondered why he looked up there. As I approached him, his ears pricked on the top of his head.<p>

"Hello," he said, "Ready yet?"

"I'm ready if you're ready," I said.

"I'm always ready if I've got you," he said before quickly turning away. It had clearly slipped out of his mouth.

I grinned and inched closer to him. "What was that you said?"

"Nothing," he said quickly.

"I thought I heard something about me." I got ready to pounce him.

"Well, I-"

I pounced on him and we began to roll around as I tickled him.

"Val-!" said Chris between laughs, "Get off!"

I kept going and said, "What did you say?"

"Get off!" His aura flared with every laugh. His "aura thingies," as he called them, were going mad.

I stopped and got off him. I smiled at him.

He frowned at me. "Why did you do that?"

"Because you're working too hard! You need to slow down and have some fun," I said.

He said, "But, if we screw this up, then we might not be able to have fun, or normal."

I sighed and said, "Okay." I just couldn't convince him to slow down.

* * *

><p>Welcome to Chris's Head<p>

I led us to the Hot Springs. When we got there, Torkoal was by himself. Maybe it was too early (or maybe late) for users to be around.

I walked up to him and said, "Hello?"

He turned around slowly, and said, "Ah, it's the pair of pokémon that fell from the sky. How can I help you two?"

"We were wondering if you had any information about the Hidden Land," said Val.

Torkoal slowly said, "The Hidden Land... It sounds familiar."

"But you don't know about it?" I asked.

Torkoal breathed out a little smoke and said, "Hold on there youngun, my mind's not what it used to be! Now, the Hidden Land..."

Val nudged me and whispered, "Torkoal's the town elder. Show him some respect!"

I sighed.

"The Hidden Land is a very tattered legend, mostly oral. Most of this is verbatim. But, the legend says that the Hidden Land lies far across the sea in a hidden place."

"Wouldn't the name give away the 'hidden place' part?" I asked.

"You're a cheeky pokémon, but yes, I suppose so. And also, only those with proper qualities can gain entry."

"So, you need qualifications," said Val, "What are they?"

"...oh, dear," said Torkoal after much thought, "I can't remember."

"Oh, that's a shame. Are you sure you can't remember?" I asked, "It's really important that we get this information."

"Hm, it's not as easy as you think," said Torkoal. Suddenly, he seemed to have a "eureka" moment. "Ah! I remember one last thing! What you need is proof!"

"What kind of proof?" I asked.

He lost his gusto. "Oh, I - can't remember. I'm sorry, youngsters; that's all I have right now. But if I have any more information, I'll be sure to let you know."

Val said, "Oh. Thanks anyway. Good-bye, Torkoal."

As we left, Torkoal said, "Vulpix, or Val, could I borrow your partner very quickly?"

She said, "But the Guild's probably expecting us."

I said, "Just go without me, I'll catch up."

Val said, "Okay." She left.

I turned to face Torkoal.

Torkoal said, "You are a very strange pokémon."

"I get that a lot."

He looked me over a bit, then said, "You're only nine, but you're also fourteen."

"What?" I asked.

"Your body is that of a nine-year-old Riolu, I can tell by your size-"

"Hey!"

"-But you comport yourself like a teenager. You have little regard for what comes out of your mouth or for your elders."

I gave a sheepish chuckle.

"And you look at your partner as if you want to get into bed with her," said Torkoal with a creepy grin.

"What the hell?" I asked, "Piss off."

Torkoal said, "Most nine-year-olds don't swear like seamen, either. Just be careful. Although you might not think it, your body can't handle some of the stuff you might want to put it through." The way he said it made me think he was thinking about something a bit more than exercise.

I said, "You're - a creep - and I'm saying that in a nice way!"

"Go back to your girlfriend," said Torkoal with a laugh, "I'll bet she's waiting for you."

As I walked away, I said, "She's not-"

Torkoal interrupted, "When you get to my age, you can read pokémon like books. You two are in love, even if you don't know it. Good-bye."

I walked away with what Torkoal said on my mind.

* * *

><p>Val was waiting a little bit down the road.<p>

"Oh, you were quick," said Val.

"Yeah," I said, "You waited for me?"

"Of course I did! You're my partner, aren't you?" asked Val.

"Oh, right. Let's go."

We started walking. As we walked, I looked Val over. Her brownish-red fur was softly blowing in the wind, and her six orange tails flowed behind her in step with her motion. Her four legs wheeled away beneath her, and I saw the dark brown pads underneath her paws. She turned her head to face me, and I looked at her brown eyes. Unlike mine, they were just purely, and completely, brown. No whites or pupils. Between her ears was a curly tuft of orange fur.

She smiled and I smiled back.

_God, she's cute. And, I guess I do like her, but, does she like me? That fox is a wild card. And besides, could a human love a pokémon, and the other way around?_

* * *

><p>We walked back to the Guild and shared our findings (or lack thereof) to everybody. It was very late in the evening. Almost nighttime.<p>

"..Yeah, so, did any of you search for clues?" I asked.

They all said yes, but also all said their searches were fruitless.

"However," said Wigglytuff, "According to our sources, Grovyle is back to collecting the Time Gears, and is almost done."

"Are the lake guardians okay with that?" asked Val.

"Oh, yes," said Chatot, "we informed them of the situation as soon as we discerned exactly what was happening."

"Sweet," I said.

We hung around for a bit, caught up with everybody who was still at the Guild, and then, at long last, Chimecho called,

"Everybody! Dinner's ready!"

We all sat down at the table and ate our fill of the feast set out for all of us.

As I downed a glass of orange juice, Sunflora said, "Chris, where are you from?"

Loudred said, "YEAH! You say you remember your past now, so tell us!"

"I'm from the United States of America. Which is a nation of the North American continent."

"Where's that?"

"I don't think it'd be on the map..." I said.

Steele plopped one down on the table. "Show us."

"Fine," I said as I unfolded it.

My eyes popped at the map.

"We expanded it over the past year," said Chatot, "Explored a lot."

"Wow, that's, unexpected," I said.

"What is?" asked Chatot.

The map was almost a mirror image of North America.

"Um, give me a moment."

I dug through my messenger bag. I found a rolled-up road map, with the message, "thought you might want this," on it.

I unrolled it and laid it out next to Steele's Wonder Map.

"What the-?" asked Steele.

My map of the United States was the mirror image (minus some clouded areas) of the Wonder Map.

Chatot said, "How?"

"Time travel and parallel universes. Holy shit," I said.

I looked at the scale, and found that the Wonder Map showed an area a sixteenth the size of the road map.

"Well, no wonder I feel at home here," I said.

"Why?" asked Val.

"Treasure Town lines up with my hometown."

I folded up the map and stuffed it away.

"That's neat. I guess I am from here after all."

We all went to bed.

* * *

><p>Welcome to Val's Head<p>

"UP AND AT 'EM, IT'S MORNING!"

"Fuck, that's one thing that I didn't miss," said Chris as he propped himself up.

"I didn't miss your swearing, either," commented Flora.

I said, "Chris, you really have a loose mouth."

Steele said, "I have no problem with that."

Chris said, "Habit."

"POKEMON DETECTED! POKEMON DETECTED!"

"WHAT?" yelled Loudred, "THIS EARLY?"

"It's Torkoal! It's Torkoal!"

"WHAT? Torkoal the elder?"

We all got to the morning assembly as Torkoal came down. He seemed very out of breath.

Wigglytuff said, "Torkoal, old friend, what are you doing here?"

"I-I remembered- what you need- to get to- the Hidden Land!"

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes! I remembered it- just after you left, so I came here- to tell you."

"What is it?" asked Chris.

"Hold on! I need- to catch- my breath."

Chatot asked, "Did you run here?"

"Yes!"

"Torkoal," said Wigglytuff, "someone your age shouldn't do things like that."

"I remembered one small thing, that the proof for the Hidden Land bears an inscription of a certain pattern," said Torkoal to a wave of groans.

"Hey! What kind of pattern is it?" asked Corphish

"It's near impossible to describe, but it's very odd, and intricate. Peculiar and rare."

Chris nudged me and whispered, "Don't you have something like that?"

I said, "My Relic Fragment?"

"Why don't you show it to Torkoal?"

I pulled it out from its special place in my Treasure Bag.

"What are you talking about?" asked Chatot as we showed it to Torkoal.

He said, "Oh my! This is it! Where did you find this?"

"I can't remember exactly, but I picked it up a while ago."

"So, if we've got this, wouldn't we be able to go straight to the Hidden Land?" I asked.

"I'm not sure," said Torkoal.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," said Wigglytuff, "Thank you for your help, Torkoal."

Torkoal said, "Thanks, but you do realize that the Hidden Land is only an oral legend, right? Are you actually trying to _find _it?"

"Yep!" sung Wigglytuff.

"Gracious! How shocking!"

"Chatot," said Wigglytuff, "I believe we've seen this pattern before."

"WHAT?"

Chatot said, but with some kind of apprehension, "Y-yes, in that northwest sea inlet. Within Brine Cave. But, Guildmaster! Last time-!"

"Yes, there was that vicious bandit."

"Golly! A bandit?"

"Listen everyone," said Wigglytuff, "I once saw this very same pattern when adventuring with Chatot not so long ago. I believe using the Relic Fragment there may very well lead to the Hidden Land! But, there is a problem. A pokémon who is a vicious bandit lurks within."

"Hey! Hey! Hey! That's not about to scare us!"

"We are EXPLORERS!"

"Yes, we are all explorers. That place is challenging, though. Today, we should prepare. We set out tomorrow for Brine Cave!"

"HOORAY!"

* * *

><p>Welcome to Chris's Head<p>

After the meeting was adjourned, everybody left and went out. Everyone except Wigglytuff, Chatot, Val, and I, that is.

"Val," I said, "We're probably going to need all our best supplies. If this works out, then this could be more than a one day excursion."

She nodded. "I understand. Let's go." We went to the ladder, but then I overheard Chatot and Wigglytuff's conversation.

Now, I'm not proud to admit it, but I eavesdrop. I like to have a complete picture, even if that means invasion of privacy.

I stopped and listened in while I had a paw on the ladder. The conversation was already in full swing.

Chatot said, "Guildmaster, forgive me if I'm out of line, but I can't be on stand-by tomorrow. I need to go to Brine Cave!"

Wigglytuff said, "Chatot, I can't put you in that kind of danger again…"

"But that's why I have to go!"

Silence.

"Fine," said Wigglytuff, "I want you to guide Team Checkmate to where we found the mural."

"I won't let you down, Guildmaster!"

"One last thing, Chatot, I'll need to do some things today, so you're in charge while I'm gone," said Wigglytuff.

He walked past me and winked at me.

Chatot went over to me and said, "I assume you heard that."

"Uh, yeah. I'll tell Val, Flora, and Steele," I said.

Chatot said, "Oh, and another thing. I don't think anyone's told you, but you and Val are now in a separate team from Flora and Steele."

"What? Why?"

"You two were legally declared dead! We had to open up a second team for you two when you came back. You're still Checkmate, but you four aren't together anymore. In fact, if you didn't notice, Flora and Steele packed up and left today right after the morning assembly. They got an internship at Roselia Guild a week ago and went to go."

I sighed. "Must've forgotten to tell us."

"Tell us what?" asked Val as she came up behind me.

I explained why we weren't going to see our teammates for a while.

"Oh," she said, "Well, an internship is a high-ranking job, so I'm happy for them."

I then explained who we were going to travel with tomorrow.

"Chatot? Okay, if that's what the Guildmaster says…"

* * *

><p>We went out into town and prepared. We also caught up with all the shopkeepers again. The Keckleon Brothers had a special deal for us, Kangaskhan gave us a huge hug, and Marowak taught me how to use Bone Rush. I quickly thought of how I could apply the technique to my favorite club. This took up most of our day.<p>

After preparing, I couldn't help but think about Grovyle. How was he? How was his mission going?

"Hey, Chris," said Val, "Let's go to Sharpedo Bluff, maybe Grovyle's there."

"You read my mind."

* * *

><p>We went to Sharpedo Bluff, but Grovyle wasn't there. I sighed and looked out at the sky. It was very pretty today, and the clouds were lazily floating across it.<p>

"Hey, Chris, I found a letter in footprint runes."

I went over to Val. I couldn't read footprint runes. I could only read the common pokémon language on all the signs. That was the one I learned with the Professor.

"Could you read it, please?" I asked.

"Okay. 'Have you found the Hidden Land yet?'"

"Nope," I said.

Val rolled her eyes. "'I'm doing fine. I've already found three of the Time Gears, because Azelf and the other guardians were so cooperative. I'm writing this as I take a quick rest here as I prepare to get the final two Gears. I guess it is a good thing you got the Guild involved, after all. It's great to see more and more pokémon trust us. However, I still wish to stay out of the spotlight. Although the official reason is gone, some sentiment against me may remain. Also, Dusknoir is bound to return and stir dissent.' What?"

"Dusknoir's a persistent bastard," I said, "He's bound to follow us. He doesn't leave jobs unfinished."

"Oh. I'll read the rest. 'I think we should keep a low profile for this reason. I'll stay away from the populace, and I'll meet you at the Bluff or the beach. If you're there, of course. If we do meet, we can exchange information. Good luck to you. Together, I truly believe that we can stop the world's end. From Grovyle.' Wow, sounds like Grovyle's working hard."

"Yeah, this is why we can't fail. It would suck if Grovyle held up his end and we failed. And another thing: Val, may I invite you to the beach?"

"To see Grovyle?"

"Maybe," I said.

We went to the beach.

* * *

><p>Not Much Earlier<p>

As Torkoal left the Guild, he chuckled.

"Ho-ho! That guild. Searching for the Hidden Land. I wish I had their youthful enthusiasm again!"

Three faces popped out of the woodwork.

"Hey, old-timer," said Skuntank, "We couldn't help but overhear you mention something big."

"What? Who are you?"

"We're Team Skull," said Koffing, before receiving a hit from Zubat.

"You're not supposed to tell him _that, _you idiot!" he said.

"Um," said Torkoal as he moved to leave.

"Hold it!" said Skuntank, "You're not leaving until we get all the information we want on the Hidden Land!"

"Oh, I-"

"Shh! Skuntank! I hear someone coming!" said Zubat.

"Let's take this somewhere we won't be disturbed, boys."

They dragged Torkoal away (with considerable effort).

* * *

><p>Back at the Beach<p>

We made it there, but Grovyle was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, no Grovyle," I said.

Val looked around a little, then said, "And no Krabby either. They always come out and blow lots of bubbles which glow in the sunset. It's very pretty."

"I wish I could see that."

"Yeah, but look!"

I looked out to the sea and saw the sunset.

I said, "That's a great sight."

"Yeah. You know, Chris, the reason I wanted to start an exploration team was so that I could find out about my Relic Fragment. It also turned out it was how I could start one in the first place. When you and I took down Zubat and Koffing so long ago, I finally had the courage to go out and seek adventure. And I have you to thank for that. This Relic Fragment was the start of our adventures together. And now, it'll be the start for our biggest adventure yet!" Neither of us knew this at the time, but it would also be the end of our time together.

"That's cool," I said, oblivious to what would eventually happen. But, today was a lighthearted day. Everything seemed, for one fleeting, perfect second, to be golden. "Hey, Val?"

"Yes?"

"Have you ever fallen in love with someone?"

Val seemed a little confused. "I'm sorry, but why are you asking this?"

"Oh, uh, sorry. Never mind."

"No, it's alright. Yes, I did."

I was a little, well, I'm ashamed to say this, surprised. "Who?"

"Oh, he's a kind pokémon, very brave, stupid at times, but that's why I like him."

"Oh, he sounds nice."

Val chuckled a little.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing," she said while chuckling.

"Humph, fine." I looked over at the sunset, but then I saw something pass in front of it. Val saw it too.

"Chris? Do you see that? It looks like a pokémon swimming across the sunset!"

"Yeah, it does…"

As soon as it appeared, the pokémon vanished.

"Oh, it's gone," said Val, "The sun is almost gone, too. Let's head back to the Guild."

After we left the beach, three of my least favorite pokémon came out of hiding.

"Hey, Chief," said Koffing, "Looks like that Torkoal dude wasn't lying."

"Yeah," said Zubat, "I had no clue that junk we boosted off the twerp was so useful!"

"Alright boys, here's the plan. We're gonna get that rock off the twerps any way necessary, but mark my words, the Hidden Land is going to be explored by Team Skull!" Skuntank laughed darkly as the sun left the sky.

* * *

><p>Later That Same Night, in a Separate Place<p>

The pokémon from earlier swam through the night, to another pokémon waiting on the craggy shore.

"Lapras! Long time no see, old friend!"

"And you, Wigglytuff. It's been a very long time. You appear well. And is Chatot well?"

"He's never been better!"

"Good, it's great to hear that. Wigglytuff, I just want to thank you again, for the promise you made and kept for all this time."

"It's no problem! Not a big deal! But, today I come to you, to ask about that promise. I think we both know that we cannot hold to it any longer. Now, tell me about that pattern we saw…"

…_And that's a wrap on Chapter 26. I decided to have more of a filler chapter. Not so much story, more like those episodes in a TV show that don't actually advance the story at all but are fun to watch. It's also shorter than I normally write chapters (but thankfully of a readable length) because I just want to get something out. So, tell me what you thought in the form of a review, suggestions, comments, praise, hell, I'm even okay with some mild flames so long as it's a coherent review. So, I hope you enjoyed, and I hope that you sleep well tonight. This is CrizBN, signing off._


	27. Up to the Challenge

Chapter 27: Up to the Challenge

Welcome to Chris's Head

I was being strangled. A man's arms were wrapped tightly around my throat, and no matter how hard I tried to escape, they refused to leave me. Just when I thought I was dead, I woke up.

I almost screamed before I realized where I was. Wigglytuff Guild, Treasure Town. In the bed next to Val's. Safe.

It was the middle of the night, and it was the first nightmare I'd had since becoming a pokémon.

"Holy shit," I whispered, "Maybe remembering isn't a good thing…"

I was too afraid to go back to sleep, so I lit the lantern in the room with my lighter and took a quick inventory of my things.

There was all the berries, a couple of max elixirs, all my artifacts from the human world, and then there was the box that I gave to myself in the future. I opened the pillbox and examined the contents inside. There was a piece of paper, and a handful of 9-millimeter cartridges.

"What?" I asked. My heart went a little cold at the thought of being able to kill someone with these.

I read the piece of paper. It read, _"Look, I know what you're thinking (I am you, right?), but they're Hollywood blanks! They'll only injure within a yard or two. Their loud report and especially large flash are very useful for distraction."_

I thought, _Why would I need to distract someone?_

To keep my mind off that, I loaded the seven cartridges into my gun's magazine. I put it all away once I was done.

I laid back down on my bed and extinguished the lantern.

As I drifted off, I thought of a game I once played.

_It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue._

* * *

><p>Welcome to Val's Head<p>

"UP AND AT 'EM, IT'S MORNING!"

We stumbled dazedly to the morning assembly. Wigglytuff was absent.

"Ahem," said Chatot, "Seeing as the Guildmaster is currently absent, I shall be his temporary replacement. The expedition to Brine Cave will leave on schedule, and I shall lead us, so no worries.

Silence.

"Oh?" asked Chatot a little apprehensively, "Do you, maybe, think that I'm inadequate?"

"Oh no, Chatot! It's not that!" said Sunflora.

"It's just we feel a little unsafe without the Guildmaster around, yup!" said Bidoof.

"I think that you are definitely capable," said Chris, "It's just that you don't have that, energy that Wigglytuff has where he just makes everyone in the room wanna, like, go!"

"Oh, well, pokémon, we're moving out!"

"YEAH!"

* * *

><p>The entire Guild went all the way to the other side of the bay where Brine Cave was. Oh, I guess I forgot to mention, Treasure Town is built on one side of a bay.<p>

We all gathered round the entrance while Chatot gave his final briefing.

"Okay, everyone, our objective is to reach the deepest part of Brine Cave, which is where one can find the mural featuring the inscription found on Val's Relic Fragment."

Chris raised a paw and asked, "How big is the mural?"

Chatot sighed and said, "You'll find out when you see it."

"Okay."

"However," continued Chatot, "The heart of Brine Cave is also where a vicious bandit lies."

"A vicious bandit?" asked most of the Guild.

"Golly, that sounds scary."

"Hey! Hey! Chatot!"

"Yes, Corphish?"

"You seem to know just as much about this dungeon as the Guildmaster. Have you come here before?"

"Yes," said Chatot, "The Guildmaster and I explored here a long time ago and saw the inscriptions, but then those tough pokémon appeared."

Chris said, "There's more than one?"

"Ugh," said Loudred, "What were they like?"

"I-I can't remember…"

"WHAT?"

Everyone was incredulous, but Chris seemed to feel Chatot's pain.

"You don't REMEMBER?"

"Yes, but it's hard to admit. They attacked with no warning, and I was knocked out within seconds. I couldn't do _anything! _When I came to, the Guildmster was tending to my wounds, but-"

"Nothing besides remains," said Chris, "So, you couldn't possibly tell us about the attackers."

"Hang on," I said, "You changed your story. Before you said 'one,' but then you said 'they.' As Chris said, there's more than one?"

"Uh, yes," said Chatot with slightly more confidence. "There was the one vicious one, and some others. Ah! I remember now! They all attacked at once with a massive deluge of water; it was like a tidal wave!"

"Like a tidal wave?"

"Sounds we're dealing with powerful water-type pokémon."

Dugtrio, Diglett, and I all shivered a little at that. Ground- and fire-types are notorious for failing miserably against water-types.

"It's dangerous to go alone," said Sunflora.

"Which is why we shall make groups," said Chatot, "I will be grouped with Team Checkmate, as per the Guildmaster's request. I hope you two don't slow me down. But don't expect me to do all the work!"

"Calm down, Chatot," said Chris, "We're not exactly inexperienced."

"Right. Is everybody ready?"

"YEAH!"

"Let's go!"

We all went inside the mystery dungeon.

* * *

><p>After we were in, Team Skull went up to the mouth.<p>

"Heh, Chief, the Guild members are in…"

"I saw, Koffing," said Skuntank.

"You said we should follow them, remember?"

"Yes, Koffing," said Skuntank a little exasperatedly, "I do."

Zubat said, "Just to clarify, we're going to steal the twerp's Fragment again, right?"

"Yeah, we'll follow them discreetly, alright boys?"

"Yeah, and we'll take the Fragment, too," said Koffing.

"DAMN IT, KOFFING, IF YOU STATE THE OBVIOUS ONE MORE TIME-!" Skuntank didn't complete his sentence so that Koffing's limited imagination could come up with worse punishments.

Zubat said, "You just got told, dude."

Koffing sighed.

Team Skull entered Brine Cave as well.

* * *

><p>Welcome to Chris's Head<p>

We went down into the cave and met plenty of water types. We sparred with Omanyte and Kingler. As we went deeper, more powerful pokémon showed up. Like Staryu. And for some strange reason, very deep inside we met a Pelipper. I thought it was odd that there was a flying type pokémon so deep in the cave, but then I looked behind me and saw Chatot.

_Well, maybe it's not _that_ odd._

We dispatched him just as quickly as anyone else. Well, when I say we, I mean Val and Chatot. He kept flying out of my reach. I didn't exactly have any ranged attacks. Well, I guess I could use Aura Sphere or Focus Blast, but one blows up in my face and the other really drains me. I was content with throwing Gravelrocks at him.

After that, it was easy going. I decided to talk to ease the tension.

"Hey, Chatot, you want to know where 'Nothing besides remains.' came from?"

"Not especially," answered Chatot, "I assume it's a result of your insane mind."

"Oh, okay."

As we went on, we found a Kangaskahn Rock. Unfortunately, it was one of the duds.

Chatot said, "We're almost there."

"Does almost mean four minutes or four hours?" I asked.

"We don't have much to go," said Chatot with some mild annoyance, "But keep in mind that each step brings us closer to those vicious pokémon."

Val said, "Yeah, we can't be careless."

I said, "It can't be _that _bad. At least we're not doing something like facing off against the Guildmaster."

Chatot nodded. He was going to say something, but suddenly, Val was knocked over by a group of running pokémon.

"Yeowch!"

"Oh! Excuse me!" yelled a familiar voice.

I turned around and said, "Aw, fuck. Not these idiots again."

"It's been a long time, weaklings," said Zubat.

"Eh? You're that friendly team, but weren't you nice?" asked Chatot.

Zubat and I were staring daggers at each other.

Skuntank picked up Val's Fragment and asked "Is this it? The Fragment?"

"Hey!" said Val. She must've dropped it.

Zubat said, "That's a yes."

"I'll be taking this," said Skuntank.

"You better give that back, or you might just get a repeat of our first encounter," I said, pulling out my gun. _Maybe I could scare them shitless with a warning shot.  
><em>

Zubat chuckled, and Koffing chortled. "Not with the Boss around."

"Hang on! I'm not following any of this," complained Chatot, "I haven't seen any of Team Skull since you disappeared on the expedition. I was worried about you."

The three shuddered a little at the expedition, but Skuntank chortled, "You're a gullible chump if you still think we're on your side."

I said, "If you haven't figured out these guys are thugs yet, then I'm a little shocked."

"What? Is that true?"

Koffing chortled, "Yeah, we're in it for us, only us, and we're gonna go to the Hidden Land first!"

Zubat said, "If you've been fooled that long, I almost feel sorry for you. _Almost. _See ya, suckers!"

Team Skull ran deeper into the cave.

Chatot was enraged. "SQUAWK! Play me for a fool, eh? I'll show you a FOOL! SQUAWK!"

Chatot flew off in the direction Team Skull went.

"Hey! Wait!" I called. "Aaaand, he's gone. Damn, and you thought I was rash."

"What are we going to do, Chris?" asked Val.

"What we've always done. Go in even deeper."

"Those dangerous pokémon are down there. I hope Chatot's okay…" said Val.

We went in deeper.

There weren't many new enemies, just pokémon farther along their evolutionary chain. Walrein, Tentacruel, ect.

We were almost getting complacent by the time we reached the cavern's end.

* * *

><p>Welcome to Val's Head<p>

When we walked into the Cave's pit, it was humid, much more uncomfortable than the rest of the cave.

Chris said, "Well, if this is really where those bandits are, then I would've relocated if I were them. Damn, it's hot!"

I said, "All I feel is the humidity. I don't want to stay here any longer than we need to!"

We then heard some groaning further in.

"Who's there?" asked Chris.

He ran ahead, and I followed.

When we got there, we gasped. Team Skull was lying on the floor.

"Urgh… It's you two weaklings," said Skuntank weakly.

Chris asked, "Damn, what happened to you poor sods?"

I suddenly had a thought, and asked, "Were you attacked by a mysterious gang of pokémon?"

"You knew?" coughed Koffing, "Could've told us…"

"Not like you would've," said Zubat.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

Skuntank was surprised, and said, "We've been such assholes to you and you're still concerned for us? How generous can you Guild idiots get?"

Chris said, "I am seriously temped to leave you here…"

I glared at him.

"…but leaving an injured pokémon to suffer isn't right."

I asked, "Did you see Chatot?"

"Yeah," said Zubat, "Dude flew up to us right after we got wasted by that gang. He started yelling lots of- choice words at us, then ran off to chase _them."_

Koffing said, "You just missed him."

Skuntank threw my Relic Fragment at our feet.

"Oh no," he said, "I've 'dropped' the Fragment, and I'm injured. There's nothing stopping that Vulpix from stealing it back."

"What are you-"

"Kid, take it," commanded Skuntank, "We can't go farther, you go ahead and help your friend."

"Will you be okay?" I asked.

"We'll be fine. Chatot's harangue spurred us enough to get us out. Besides, I'd worry more about _him; _he went to chase those _dicks_, deeper inside."

I scooped up my Fragment, and said, "Thanks, Skuntank."

He then said, "Don't think for one second that this means we're not going to give you hell once we're out of here."

"Thought never crossed my mind," said Chris with a slight acidity in his voice.

Chris and I ran off, leaving Skuntank to explain his actions to his accomplices.

"Who would've guessed he was such a softie," said Chris, "it's almost cliché."

"Oh well, I'm just glad to have my Fragment back."

We ran ahead and eventually we came across-

* * *

><p>"Chatot!" called Chris.<p>

"Ah! You two," said Chatot as we ran to his sides, "Stay alert, those bandits are bound to be around here, somewhere…"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I followed those bandits in here after they disappeared from sight. But, they're nowhere to be found," said Chatot.

We looked around but saw nothing.

"Nobody's here," said Chris, "and they couldn't be hiding…" The chamber had nowhere to hide.

"Of course they're hiding!" snapped Chatot, "But where…?" Chatot seemed to be racking his memory. Then he seemed to have a revelation. He looked up, and then he recoiled.

"THEY'RE ABOVE US! Look out!"

We looked up, and saw the ceiling, and then we saw-

"Ooh, clever bastards," said Chris, "Nobody ever thinks to look up, _especially _not in a cave!"

They dropped as we jumped back.

In front of us stood a Kabutops and two Omastar.

"I am Kabutops!"

"And we're the Omastar brothers!" said the Omastar in union.

Chris burst out laughing. "You, the Omastar! Are you, twins?"

"Why are you _laughing?" _demanded Chatot.

"They remind me of some guys I met on the highway, bound me and Grovyle, but they were dull as rocks!" He laughed some more.

I was at a loss for words, but Kabutops wasn't so much of a funny guy.

"Ooh, I know who's going to DIE first. All trespassers will be struck down-"

"Survivors will be struck again!" interrupted Chris with a laugh.

"Take this!"

They all charged at once, but just when I thought Chris was toast, something happened.

Chatot blocked their attacks with his body.

"Chatot!" we yelled.

"What?" Kabutops was shocked.

"You're not going to get," Chatot coughed up a little blood, and it splattered on the floor, "away with this! I-I can't let you…"

"Oh, looks like we got a hero, boys," scoffed Kabutops, "Can't be very smart."

"Hey," said the left Omastar (I'll call him "Leftie"), "I remember this guy, Kabutops!"

"Oh yeah," said the other (let's call him "Right"), "He pulled the same stunt last time he was here."

"Oh," said Kabutops, "He must have brain damage or something."

"You can't hurt them," wheezed Chatot, "They're our star recruits..."

Chris seemed to be touched at that. "Chatot..." he said softly.

"Euagah!" Chatot collapsed.

"Chatot!" we yelled.

"Hmph," said Kabutops as he tossed Chatot's limp form behind him.

"Alright," said Chris, "Now I'm mad!"

Leftie chuckled, "Heh, little guy's mad. How cute."

"Maybe we ought to go easier on him and his bitch," said Right.

Now I was pissed off, too. Well, more than before. I got into a fighting pose, and said, "You'll regret you said that."

Kabutops said, "Enough talk! Have at you!"

He led in with a Slash attack, which we dodged. He was between Chris and me, so we met him in the middle with a Flamethrower and a Focus Blast. He was hit by both and slid to a heap behind us.

While we were celebrating on our little victory, though, Leftie and Right came from behind us and used Brine. It was double strength because they attacked in sync, and I was about to faint.

Chris threw me an Oran berry, which I ate, and then he tried to bite Right. It failed miserably, because of the shell.

"Bad idea, kid," said Right as he used Brine again, bringing Chris to his knees.

I wanted to help, but Leftie was persistent, so I had to fight him off with Faint Attack.

Right was laughing, "Welcome to a world of hurt-"

Chris kicked Right in the mouth _("Phaw!")_, and pushed up, flipping him over, and exposing his soft underbelly. Chris bit that.

"Yeow!" screamed Right, "Don't go there!"

Chris let go, and spat out some bloody flesh. "Soft skin, mate."

Leftie went at me with a Tackle, but I dodged, followed Chris's lead and pushed him over, then burned his underside to a crisp.

"Ayiee!"

Kabutops got up and yelled, "Let's get out of here!"

The three bandits scattered.

"Hell yeah! And don't you come back anytime soon!" yelled Chris.

I ran over to Chatot's limp body and shook him. Chris was quickly at my side, looking Chatot over.

"Chatot," I said.

"Urgh..."

"Are you alright?" said Chris to Chatot, before shaking his head and appending, "I think it's painfully obvious you're not, pardon any puns."

"Chatot!" called a voice.

We turned to see Wigglytuff running up to us with Grovyle.

"It's you two," said Chris.

"That voice," said Chatot, "is the Guildmaster here?"

"Oh, Chatot," said Wigglytuff sadly. Chatot was a mess, bloodied up, and probably something like a broken wing.

"Guildmaster!" called someone else.

The rest of the Guild was running up to us.

Grovyle turned to face them.

"WHOA! It's GROVYLE!" yelled Loudred.

"It's okay, he's with me," said Wigglytuff.

"What's _Grovyle _doing with _you, _Guildmaster?"

"Never mind that," I said, "Chatot's hurt, and I mean _really _hurt."

"WHAT?" was the collective response. Everyone crowded around Chatot.

"Chatot! Are you okay?" asked the Guildmaster, "Injured?"

"Hahaha," breathed Chatot, "I'm _fine... _Healthy and hearty." His voice sounded delirious.

"Oh, Chatot..."

"It's alight, just so demeaning! I got defeated by the same enemies, twice!"

"Hold it," said Chris, "If you hadn't shielded me, I would've been the one on the floor."

"Chatot! You saved him, too?" asked Wigglytuff.

"Excuse me? What do you mean by 'too?'" asked Chatot.

"Don't you remember? All those years ago, when we explored this place, you shielded me from the bandits' first blows," said Wigglytuff, "I owe you my _life!"_

"Heh, I h-had no clue," said Chatot, "I fainted immediately."

"I sent Kabutops's gang packing right after, but without your selfless act, I would've been knocked out instantly! You are my true partner, and I have no clue what I would do without you," said Wigglytuff.

Chatot stayed silent for a moment, then said, "It's been a privilege, Guildmaster..."

Then he fell to the ground, unconscious and completely spent.

"WHOA!" yelled Loudred.

"Chatot!"

Grovyle knelt at Chatot's side, looked him over, then announced, "He'll live, but only if he is brought back to the Guild _immediately_."

"Well, let's go!" exclaimed Chris, "Now's not the time to be standing all open-mouthed, let's hurry!"

"Wait," said Wigglytuff, "Chris, Val, you two need to go ahead with Grovyle. The rest of us can head back, but you three need to go on ahead."

"But-" I began to argue.

"Don't worry," insisted Wigglytuff, "We all can take care of this. You need to go to the Hidden Land. The mural's just ahead. And if you don't go, then all this would've been for nothing."

Chris nodded. "Okay. I guess this is good-bye, then."

Grovyle twitched a little, as if shocked at Chris's words, but it could've been my imagination. "Let's hurry," said Grovyle quickly turning away and starting in the direction Wigglytuff directed. When we didn't immediately follow, he said with some urgency, "Chris, Val, follow me."

I sighed, and said, "Okay."

We followed Grovyle.

Wigglytuff called, "Good luck!"

We looked back, and caught a glimpse of the Guild. I didn't know this at the time, but this would be Chris's last look at them.

* * *

><p>Welcome to Chris's Head<p>

"So," I said, "How were things on your end, Grovyle? And how did you end up here, of all places?"

"Wigglytuff brought me," answered Grovyle.

"Wigglytuff?" asked Val.

"Yes, he had been searching for me. When he found me, he asked me to follow him, because you had nearly discovered the Hidden Land. It was good timing because I was planning to join up with you anyway."

"Does that mean you have all the Time Gears?"

"Yes, it does. I have all the ones we need."

I said, "Something tells me that Wigglytuff know quite a bit more than he's letting on."

"Probably, but that's not important right now. What's important right now, is that we find the mural."

We kept walking, and soon we came across a chamber, where there was a body of water.

Val went up to it and said, "Hang on, this is seawater!"

I looked ahead, and saw that the little body extended to the ocean, and saw an orange sky. It was around sunset. Past the rocky cavern walls was the open sea.

"Kind of funny no one discovered the cave opens to the sea," I observed.

"Well, it is in shadow," said Val.

"The tide must come in through those walls' opening," said Grovyle.

I said, "I forgot if this is high or low tide, but the water level should change over the course of a day. If you come at one point, the chamber might be flooded, but if you come at another time, dry."

"That's neat," said Val.

I looked around, and exclaimed, "There it is!"

Inscribed on the wall directly opposite the cave's opening was the design on Val's Fragment. The design that I had studied so long ago (or was it really so long?) in the Professor's lab.

"What's wrong, Chris?" asked Val. Then she saw it, too. "Oh! That's the same pattern as on my Fragment! Let's see..." She dug around in her bag and pulled it out.

She laid it on the floor, and it began glowing.

"What?"

Then the wall's design began glowing too.

"What kind of sci-fi BS is this?" I asked.

Then the light began blinding.

"Wah!"

A thick laser beam blasted out to sea as the light subsided.

"Now," I said, "That just makes _zero _sense. But, okay."

"What, was that?" asked Grovyle.

"That light," said Val, "What's out there?"

A shadow appeared on the horizon, and it was rapidly becoming bigger.

"Well," I said, "I guess we're about to find out."

"It's _swimming?"_

A Lapras swam up to us. She said, "Val, Chris, and Grovyle, am I correct."

"How do you know our names?" asked Val.

"I was informed by Wigglytuff."

I said, "I had a feeling Wigglytuff was hiding something."

"I'm a little confused," said Val, "A beam of light shot out to sea, and then you appeared. Who are you, exactly?"

"I am Lapras, your Guide to the Hidden Land."

"What? You can take us to the Hidden Land?" asked Val.

"Yes," said Lapras matter-of-factly, "you unleashed that beam of light, right? That's the signal for entry to the Hidden Land. Now, step onto my back. Do not fear, I can carry your weight and much more across vast distances."

"Okay, the Hidden Land _is _beyond the sea," said Val.

"Chris! Val! Let's go! Beyond the sea!" said Grovyle.

We got on, and I asked., "Just how vast of a distance will we be travelling?"

Lapras said, "Not very far."

I sighed._I don't know if she means four miles or four _hundred _miles! __Well, at least I have someone to talk to..._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hey, everybody. I'm sorry I took so long to update. The first three weeks, well, I had an excuse. I was at a no-internet summer boarding school for a while. Not that _I'm _complaining, it was much more fun than I expected. Sung "American Pie" a lot for some reason. Anyway, tell me what you think in the form of a review, talk to me in a PM, or maybe even follow if you would like content similar to this chapter. For statistics junkies, the Word Count for this chapter is 4,143.  
><strong>

**And another thing, I plan on possibly fixing some minor spelling/grammar/format errors in my previous chapters. Most of the errors are things like misspelling a pokémon's name or something like that. Maybe I'll do it, maybe not.  
><strong>

**We're nearing the end! I think we all know what'll happen. But the real question is: will I make another future chapter to finish up?  
><strong>

**This is CrizBN, signing off for the night.  
><strong>


	28. Hidden Truths

Chapter 28: Hidden Truths

Welcome to Chris's Head

We all looked back as the last traces of land disappeared.

"Well," I said, "We're at sea now, no doubt about that."

Val said, "Don't remind me, please…"

Grovyle asked, "Afraid of getting wet?"

"N-no!" By the way she said it, though, you could tell it was definitely something she wasn't looking forward to.

"It's not like you'll drown or anything, you _do _know how to swim, right?" I asked.

"Um…" Val looked down.

"Oh," I said.

Lapras said, "You won't have to worry about swimming for yourself. I'm the strongest swimmer in this part of the ocean. Just don't fall off, okay?"

She nodded.

* * *

><p>Wigglytuff Guild<p>

Wigglytuff emerged from the crew rooms. Team Checkmate's room had become the de facto infirmary after a life had been saved in it.

The waiting crowd of pokémon looked up expectantly.

"Chatot's going to be fine," said Wigglytuff, "He just needs some rest. If we're lucky, then he'll be able to join us again tomorrow!"

"Yay!" was the cheer. It was genuine, too. Chatot might have been a stick in the mud, but he was respected by (most of) the Guild.

"Hey, hey. Guildmaster."

"Yes, Corphish?"

"Back in there, you said Chatot saved you at the cave a long time ago. Could you tell us more?"

"Of course. Chatot saw those brutes before they attacked and protected me. I defeated them shortly afterwards, but then I realized that Chatot was gravely injured. I panicked, because I didn't know what to do. Then _she _showed up."

* * *

><p>Back on Lapras<p>

"…When I saw Wigglytuff and Chatot there, I stayed back. But once I saw his partner down like that, I couldn't stand by, because he was desperately clueless."

"Then what?" asked Val.

Lapras continued, "I healed Chatot on one condition, that Wigglytuff and Chatot keep the inscription secret, and not investigate it. Of course, I think that itself gave them the idea that the truth was incredible."

"And what is that truth, exactly?" I asked.

"The Hidden Land is Dialga's home, as you should know. Dialga has always feared the possibility of intruders wreaking havoc on his home, the tower that regulates time. He opted to protect his home, and the stability of time, by hiding it in a gap in space-time."

_"Space-time?" _asked Val, "You sound like Chris."

I defended, "Space-time is basically a way of saying the universe in all its dimensions. What Lapras probably means is that the Hidden Land is at a point between spaces and a time between times, like squeezing something into an atom and between split-seconds."

"Yes," said Lapras, "It's good to see someone here who knows a little bit about spatial-temporal sciences."

Grovyle said, "This gap would explain why the Hidden Land can't be found. It's damn near impossible to find one."

Lapras said, "Dialga left one key to enter the Hidden Land. He left a special Fragment with an inscription on it."

* * *

><p>Back in the Guild<p>

"When I heard Torkoal's story, and saw Val's Relic Fragment, I suddenly realized the significance of the mural," said Wigglytuff, "I left you all to go see Lapras, and I explained to her what had happened, the state of time, and that we needed to get the Time Gears to Temporal Tower ASAP."

"Then what?"

"Lapras told me everything. She said that the Fragment was the key, and that it chose who goes to the Hidden Land."

"What?"

"It, chooses?"

* * *

><p>I said, "That sounds like something out of some sci-fi flick."<p>

"Maybe you're not as sophisticated as I thought…" muttered Lapras.

* * *

><p>"Yep! It apparently does it all by itself, somehow."<p>

"Then why did it choose Valerie?"

"Dialga definitely didn't want anyone with an evil heart to get to his home, the Hidden Land. Val must've been pure-hearted enough-"

* * *

><p>"Okay," I said, "That's just a little <em>too <em>cliché."

"Are you saying something about my heart being impure?" asked Val.

"Urk."

* * *

><p>"That aside," said Wigglytuff, those two are on their own from here on out. Whatever happens, we can't do a thing. It's up to them to save time."<p>

* * *

><p>"Yikes," I said, "Way to make a motivational speech, Lapras."<p>

* * *

><p>Welcome to Val's Head<p>

Chris had fallen asleep in the first hour. It was nearly nighttime, so neither me nor Grovyle decided to wake him. Lapras insisted we rest too, so we fell asleep as well.

I woke up to see Grovyle staring up at the sun. Well, not directly, of course, that would make him go blind.

"Huh?"

"Oh, you're awake, I see," said Grovyle.

"Oh, yes."

"Chris isn't up yet. One thing that hasn't changed about him is that when he can, he will sleep like a Snorlax, just not as loud."

"Yeah," I said, "If it weren't for Loudred, he'd sleep till afternoon. Of course, maybe that's because he stays up so late."

"Hmm? Why would he do that?"

"Chris, well, sometimes, at night, after the sun goes down, he climbs onto the roof."

"What?" asked Grovyle, surprised.

"I don't know what he does up there, but whatever it is, it must be tiring, because sometimes when we're going through a dungeon, he just finds a rock and curls up next to it for a nap." It had happened on more than one occasion. And then there was Amp Plains. Arceus, I will not forgive him for leaving me behind any time soon.

Grovyle thought a while. Then he said, "I remember, in the future, when I worked with future versions of you and Chris, that he told me something once."

* * *

><p><em>"Back before everything went to hell, I used to climb up on the roof to look at the stars. Just because I thought they were some of the prettiest things in the world. Now they're gone. I'd do almost anything to get them back."<em>

* * *

><p>"He just <em>looks <em>at them?" I asked. _How is that even remotely entertaining?_

"He did say, as a human, that he used to stargaze with his father."

"His father?" I asked. "Did you ever meet him?"

"No. The man was dead long before I met Chris."

I said, "Then maybe he looks up because it reminds him of his father."

Chris rolled over and mumbled, "...umph ... dad was an IT guy…"

"What?" I suddenly realized that Chris was still asleep.

Lapras said, "I think you'd better wake him up, we're almost there. You can see it on the horizon."

I looked, and didn't see much, although the waves did seem a little more choppy.

I shook Chris. "Wake up, wake up, wake up."

"Mmph, five more minutes…" he rolled over, and right off of Lapras. He landed in the water and was instantly up. "Oh, FU-glub!" He clambered back on, breathing shakily.

Lapras chuckled, "I see you're up, at last."

Chris sighed. "I want to go back to sleep."

I said, "You can't, we're almost to the Hidden Land."

"What?" asked Chris, "Why didn't you say so?"

"Never mind that, look ahead. You see where the waves look unnatural?" asked Grovyle.

"Yeah…"

"I think that's the entrance to the rift where the Hidden Land lies."

"Neat."

Lapras then said, "Alright, hang on, we're about to enter!"

Suddenly, she sped up and appeared to lift out of the water.

"We-we're flying! You can fly?" I yelled.

"I wish," said Lapras, "I'm merely riding the distortion in space-time to the Hidden Land."

Chris moaned, "I'm still dreaming aren't I?"

We all laughed.

Then we went through a passage of sorts, where colors were flashing by.

He said, "I thought I was awake..."

"You are," said Grovyle. A "floating" island came into sight. "Look! I think that's the Hidden Land!"

"It is," confirmed Lapras.

"Are you sure I'm not dreaming?" asked Chris.

I got tired of his moaning and launched an ember at his tail.

"YEOWCH!" He fell face-first onto Lapras's back. He said, "Alright, I'm awake."

Lapras went right up to its edge and dropped us off there.

"This is as far as I can take you. From this point forward, you're on your own," said she.

"Thanks," I said.

* * *

><p>Welcome to Chris's Head<p>

I said, "So, will you wait here or go?"

She said, "I'll rest here so that you can return to Treasure Town when it's over."

Val said, "Really? That's nice of you." She walked off to a Kangaskhan Rock and sorted out our supplies.

Lapras then turned to me and Grovyle and said, "You two are really sacrificing everything to save time, and I thank you for that. So many heroes go unappreciated, so I just want to say from the bottom of my heart, thanks."

"Thank you, Lapras," said Grovyle.

"Uh, thanks," I said.

She then fell asleep.

I walked over to the Rock and sorted out my things while Val went to look around. Mostly off the cliff.

Grovyle said, "Chris."

I turned around. "Yeah?"

He said, "I need to tell you something."

"Sure, what is it?" I asked.

Grovyle seemed to be having an internal debate. "It's, just, that- when we save time..."

"What about it?" I asked, oblivious to what he was trying to say.

"Do you know what will happen?" he asked.

"Um," I said, "Will the stars still be in the sky at night?"

"Yes, but, there's something else you need to know."

"Okay. Say it."

Grovyle took a deep breath. "When we save time, everyone-"

"HEY!" interrupted Val, "You need to see this!"

Grovyle sighed dejectedly as I turned to face her.

"What?" I called.

"Look at _that!"_

She pointed at something above us. It was separated from the main island by at least 500 yards in both distance and height. It looked like a huge stone tower straight from medieval times. At the top, some clouds were circling it ominously.

Grovyle said nonchalantly, "That's Temporal Tower."

I said, "What? Aw crap, it's floating above us! How are we going to get there?"

"We need to find the Rainbow Stoneship," said Grovyle, "It should be somewhere on the island."

Lapras murmured, "That's correct…"

"Well," I said, "let's get searching."

"Wait," said Val, "Maybe Lapras-"

"Don't know," she said, "don't like land."

We all sighed. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>We began trudging through the Hidden Land. It wasn't that bad, though, it was kind of like a little slice of Eden. Just a few Trapion and Bastiodon who weren't even very aggressive. However, once we got deeper into the island, they began to attack us on sight.<p>

"What's got them so excited?" I asked.

Grovyle said, "I'm not sure. Whatever it is, though, it can't be good."

"Maybe it's time distortion," offered Val, "That's the cause for all those other pokémon from before attacking us."

"No," I said, "I don't think so. Something's not right." I suddenly felt something. I don't know what, exactly, but Val suddenly asked me a question.

"Why are your thingies vibrating?"

I suddenly realized that my aura appendages (what else to call them but thingies) were vibrating slightly. "I think we should hide," I said, "Someone's coming."

We all hid in some bushes. Two Sableye walked in front of us and stopped.

"Aw, man," said one, "How long is Dusknoir gonna push us?"

"Until we find those pokémon, bro," said the other.

"We've been camped here for _two weeks, _dude! When are they gonna show?"

"I don't know bro, but they're bound to come to us eventually, we're camped at the Stoneship Complex, remember?"

"Yeah, but if they don't show up soon, I swear I'm gonna do somethin' drastic."

The other clamped a claw over the first's mouth. "Don't say that! You never know if he's listening!"

"Sorry."

"Let's get movin'. I don't like this path's vibe, bro."

As they walked away, one said, "Dude, you're soundin' like a Riolu."

I made a move to get up and teach them a lesson, but Grovyle held me down. "They're not worth it."

We waited until their footsteps faded.

"Crap," I said, "Sounds like Dusknoir's waiting for us."

"What do we do?" asked Val.

"Only thing we can do," said Grovyle, "Fight them head on."

I said, "No way. That's suicide."

"I can take on Dusknoir any day!"

I said, "Grovyle, two things: there's a lot of Sableye to worry about, and a _fighting type _is telling you it's a bad idea."

"What's your suggestion, then?" asked Grovyle impatiently.

"Well," I said, "Uh…"

"Go on," said Grovyle triumphantly.

I thought a little while and said, "We could try sneaking."

"What."

"Look, I know how to take on big numbers. You need to be tactical."

"Right," said Grovyle patronizingly.

"We don't even know how many there are! We should at least scope the area out before we attack," I insisted.

"Fine," said Grovyle, "I guess that is a valid point."

* * *

><p>We wandered around (quietly) until we came across some old ruins. It was an impressive array of toppled Roman (Greek?) columns mixed with some half standing walls.<p>

"Wow," I said, "This must've been quite something back when it was new."

"I wonder why it's ruined?" asked Val.

"It's clearly been abandoned for a long time," said Grovyle, "But this wall seems to have stood up better."

"Hm," I said. The wall was mostly covered in writing in some dead language. But, there was a partial of a mural, which seemed to depict a piece of the earth itself rising from a temple.

"Wow," said Grovyle, "This really is something."

"What's it say?" asked Val and I.

"It says that the Rainbow Stoneship represents the removal of the Hidden Land from the rest of the world. When it is removed from the rest, it represents purity. And thus, only the pure of heart can ever hope to ride it."

"Again, that's just so cliché."

"Will you just shut up about that, Chris?" asked Val.

"Fine," I said, "Grovyle, does it say anything about the location of the Stoneship?"

"Yes," he said, "In the temple."

"Well, where is it?" asked Val.

"Where else? In the middle of all the bad guys," I said. I pointed towards the middle of the ruins, and to where Dusknoir was most likely waiting

"That's a cynical thing to say," said Val.

"Let's go," Grovyle sighed.

We made it to the remains of the temple. It was easy, much too easy. Wasn't Dusknoir supposed to be camped here? Thing was, I could barely use aura, so we had no clue.

Although we were all a little high-strung, I got a pretty good look at the place. Or what was left of it.

Broken walls and aged columns rose up to twenty feet in some places, but they were mostly broken off at a low height. There was a sizable stone platform in the middle of all this, with steps leading up to it. It had a very familiar design, and I bet that from the air, it looked just like the inscription in Brine Cave.

"Look," I said, "there's a little hole in the middle of this."

Val walked up to it. "It almost looks like the Fragment could fit in here..."

We all looked at each other. "This is really cliché, but try it."

Val got out the Fragment, but just as she was about to slide it in, someone threw a stick at her, making her drop it.

"What?"

We all turned to see a Sableye standing on one of the columns holding a bunch of sticks. He suddenly yelled, "THEY'RE HERE! WE FOUND 'EM!"

"Oh, shit," I said.

"Quick! Put the Fragment in!" yelled Grovyle.

"Where is it?" asked Val.

"Looking for something?"

"Oh, no," I said as we turned around.

"You again."

Dusknoir was holding the Fragment.

"Well, well, well," he said, "we meet again, Team Checkmate."

Val was growling at him. "Give it back, Dusknoir."

"Oh, but why would I do _that? _I think I'll keep it."

I said, "Dusknoir, if you don't want to end up six feet under, you'll hand it over."

"Heh, haha, you think you stand a chance against me? No. I think it's you who should give _me _something," said Dusknoir. He extended a hand. "The Time Gears. Give them to me, and maybe you might just be spared a terrible death."

"That's bullshit, Dusknoir," said Grovyle, "You know we can beat you in a battle."

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you think I was alone?" Dusknoir raised his hand.

Six Sableye jumped onto the platform and got into a fighting position.

"Now," said Dusknoir, "Surrender, and you'll only be sent to the future. Fight, and meet Death himself."

"I think you know the answer to that offer," I said as we got ready to fight..

"Pity."

"Dusknoir's mine," said Grovyle as he ran at his nemesis.

He charged with a Leaf Blade as Dusknoir charged up a Shadow Ball.

I turned my attention to the Sableye. I ran up to one and sweeped his legs out from under him, quickly following with a Force Palm to the face. One down.

"Where'd you learn to do that?" asked Vulpix as she Flamethrower'd one trying to attack me from behind.

"What do you think I was doing at the Dojo? Knitting?" I used Detect and narrowly avoided a vicious Fury Swipe.

Val used Blast Burn on one really annoying Sableye. Two. "Well, I picked this up from a Ninetails passing through."

"Neat!" I punched the pokémon who got Flamethrower'd in the face. Three.

However, I got hit by a couple of Slash attacks as a result.

"Alright, piss off!" I used Reversal, knocking out the fourth Sableye.

Vulpix used Roar on one of the last two, sending him flying into the other.

I couldn't resist. "Fus ro dah." I burst out laughing.

"I'm sorry?" Val sent me a strange look.

"Nothing." We quickly dispatched the last two Sableye. But then, Grovyle was sent flying into us.

"Oof!"

We picked ourselves up as Grovyle muttered, "Shit, Dusknoir's stronger than he was last time."

"Need help?" I asked.

"That would be nice."

We all ran at Dusknoir, but he knocked us away one by one.

"HA! You think any _one_ of you can best _ME?" _taunted Dusknoir.

"What I wouldn't give to punch that _dick _in the face," I said.

"We can't get to him, he's too strong," said Val.

Grovyle said, "Yes, but, maybe if we were to attack all at once..."

"That might just work!"

"Cover me while I charge up my attack," said Grovyle, "Then attack on my go."

"Oh, boy," I said.

Dusknoir sent a Shadow Ball at us. I tried to send a Focus Blast to knock it out of the sky, but I instead sent-

"That's an Aura Sphere!"

The two balls of energy hit each other and exploded in a shower of sparks.

"I finally did it! I used Aura Sphere!"

"I'm ready," exclaimed Grovyle, "NOW! SOLARBEAM!"

"AURA SPHERE!"

"BLAST BURN!"

Our three attacks somehow all joined together, creating a fiery energy beam of death.

Dusknoir never stood a chance. He fell down where he stood in a heap.

The Sableye suddenly started moving. One yelled, "Retreat!"

All the others followed, running down the stairs and through a portal to the Passage.

"Let's end this," I said to Grovyle, "Let's send him back to the future."

"Yes," said Grovyle.

Val picked up the Fragment. "I'll get ready to move."

She watched as me and Grovyle each got under one of Dusknoir's shoulders and proceeded to drag him to the portal.

She stayed at the top of the stairs. Out of earshot.

"You'll never do it," breathed Dusknoir.

"Just stop it, you've lost," I said.

"You _can't _do it."

"Shut up," said Grovyle a little too quickly.

Dusknoir suddenly got an evil look. "He doesn't know, does he?"

"I don't know what?" I asked.

Dusknoir said, "You don't know what will _really _happen if you don't let time stop."

"Shut up," I said as we deposited him at the portal's mouth, "You're just angry you've been beat."

"Oh, no. I think you've been lied to, my poor child. Think about it. If time didn't stop, would any of us be here?"

I suddenly felt a dropping feeling in my stomach. "What are you saying?"

"If you 'save' the universe, then we and everyone from the future that happened as a result of the events that you are so blindly trying to change will disappear," said Dusknoir.

"You bastard!" I said.

Grovyle said, "It's true, Chris."

I turned and asked, "What?"

"I-I'm sorry. Everything Dusknoir has said was true," said Grovyle not daring to look me in the eye, "I had meant to tell you..."

I felt like I had been betrayed. "WHEN, EXACTLY? Were you planning on driving me to the end blindly?" I teared up.

Dusknoir said, "You could save your own life right now. Walk away."

"No," said Grovyle, "You remember what that future holds. Destruction and hell. Do you think that's living?"

"But, what's it worth if you can't see it yourself?" countered Dusknoir.

"It doesn't matter how long you live. What matters is that you've done something with what you're given. Even if I disappear, the universe will live on, and isn't that a worthwhile legacy?" said Grovyle.

I looked down. "I don't know what to believe in anymore, Grovyle."

He saw how I felt. He tried to say something, but then I turned around and started to walk towards the stairs.

I heard the sounds of someone getting up. I was suddenly grabbed from behind. I yelped in fear.

But, then someone shoved me out of the grip, at their own expense.

"Grovyle!" He was being pulled into the portal by Dusknoir. He threw his satchel, filled with the Time Gears, at me.

"Chris! Go! Save time!"

"No!"

"May we meet again soon..."

He was pulled into the portal, and then it shut.

I fell to my knees. I couldn't believe it. Just the entire encounter. I cried, "Oh, Grovyle."

"Chris..."

I jumped. I hadn't realized Val was behind me.

"I'm sorry. Grovyle was your friend, and now he's gone. But this means we need to keep going, for him," said Val, oblivious to what had been said.

"Yeah," I said as I picked up the satchel at my feet.

I followed Val up to the platform and watched as she placed the Fragment in the hole.

My wonder at the Stoneship rising out of the earth and flying towards Temporal Tower was dulled by my worry.

"Val," I said. _I have to tell her._

"What is it?"

I wanted to tell her, but at the last second, my courage failed. Instead I asked, "Remember back on the beach before we left?"

"What about it?"

"You said you fell in love once. Who did you fall in love with?"

She chuckled a little. "You still don't know? I'll give you some more hints."

"Like I said before, he's kind, and sometimes_ really_ stupid. He's also super cute..." She walked up to me and stretched her paw up so that it was on top of my head. "...about this tall, and he's crazy."

I blinked. "Um..."

She sighed. "It's you, silly!"

"What?" I hadn't expected that. _Does she really think so highly of me?_ "I'm_ cute?"_

"Yeah! You're okay with that, right?" She tilted her head and smiled. _God, she's cute._

I said, "Of course!" I suddenly blushed. "Uh, well, I-I mean, well, uh..."

She laughed. "You are such an idiot. So you like me back?"

"Yeah. It's just-" I paused. I couldn't tell her what would happen. I just wasn't brave enough.

"Just what?"

"N-nothing."

"Alright. Get ready, we're going to face Dialga soon."

"Right."

I sat down and sorted through everything.

As I did this, I thought about how crazy everything had become. I had stared Death in the face more than is healthy. I had changed species. I fell in love. And after all that, the one thing that truly terrified me wasn't that I was about to battle a practical deity, but telling my partner one thing: the whole truth about what we were about to do. Of course, words are among the most powerful things in the world. You can destroy someone's will with very few.

And I thought that I just might obliterate hers.

_**A/N: Hello again. It's about time that I get to concluding this so that I can get on with my life and other plans. I intend to end this on Chapter 30, but chances are that I'll overstep that boundary a bit with something different. You'll see. This was another one of those late-night writes, so this might be a little disjointed. Anyway, tell me what you think by hitting the review button and leaving a comment. Oh, and to the anonymous "RocketLocker", I answer your question with a question: which site? I'd PM you, but no account.**_

_**Anyway, this is CrizBN, signing off.**_


	29. I Don't Want to Say Goodbye

Chapter 29: I Don't want to Say Goodbye

Welcome to Chris's Head

For all that was happening at that moment, I think it was justified to have a swarm of butterflies in my stomach at that point (Or maybe Butterfrees? I mean, it does fit the world, I guess).

The more I wanted to tell Val what was about to happen, the more I couldn't bring myself to say it.

"Chris, we're here," said Val.

I was too absorbed in my own thoughts to even notice.

"Chris! I can't do this without you. Come on, we need to hurry," said Val.

I was pulled out of my thoughts and looked up at her. "What?"

"Now isn't the time to be absent-minded. Please, for everyone, try to focus," said Val.

"I-I, can't focus... I, need to tell you something."

"What is it?"

_Now I know how Grovyle felt! _"It's just, I-" My tongue kept beating itself up.

"If something's wrong, just tell me, please." She had no idea.

"It's nothing important," I said. _Yes it is, you sodding fool! TELL HER!_

"Come on," said Val encouragingly, "We're partners, you can tell me."

"I-I-" I couldn't. So I decided to try saying the next hardest thing. "I-I kinda like you."

"Oh, really?" asked Val, "What do you mean 'like?'"

"Uh... Um... I, uh,-" She suddenly tackled me with a kiss.

I closed my eyes and almost wished the moment would last forever. But before I could, it was already over.

"That was the first time I kissed a guy," said Val.

"Same here." I suddenly realized, "I mean girl!"

She hit me lightly. "I know what you mean, stupid. Can we go now?"

"Y-Yeah, sure."

"Besides, didn't we already establish that five minutes ago?"

"Err, I dunno?"

She laughed, "You're so stupid. Come on, we need to hurry."

She stepped off of the Stoneship. Before following, I looked around. We were at the end of a floating stone pathway leading up to-

"So that's Temporal Tower," said Val.

"It looks kind of like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, minus the lean of course."

As if on cue, a tremor shook the ground, and the tower vibrated. It's quite a thing to see a stone tower over two-hundred feet high oscillate. Very, very unnerving. Temporal Tower gained a little lean.

"Well, someone up there really likes proving me wrong."

"Let's hurry! Temporal Tower might already be collapsing!" yelled Val.

We ran up to the base, and very quickly restored our supplies at the Kangaskhan Rock very conveniently placed there.

"Ready?" asked I.

Val said, "Yep!"

We began to scale Temporal Tower.

* * *

><p>"This is some incredible architecture," I observed.<p>

"How many floors are there?" asked Val.

"I saw a sign at the bottom saying it's 13 floors to the spire, which goes on further."

"And the spire?"

"They say that's where they were defeated."

"Oh dear."

We marched onward, sometimes backwards because of a Confuse Ray from a Bronzor, but we mostly kept going up and up.

The Tower was very modern, almost like the interior of a futuristic office building, but it was also very broken.

The ninth floor was blindingly bright, and then the tenth was dark and flooded with water.

It was just our luck that the stairs were surrounded by a pool of water.

"Well," I said, "Looks like we'll have to swim."

"Swim?!" panicked Val, "Maybe there's a way around..."

"Hey," I said, "Look at me."

She looked at me with panicky eyes. "I can't swim."

"As long as you're with me and I'm with you, nothing can hurt us, okay?"

She nodded.

"So, just follow me."

"Can you even swim?"

"Yeah. Just follow my lead, and don't panic."

I jumped in.

"Come on," I said while I treaded water, "the water's fine!"

"You know, I think I saw something over in the corner where it's dry..."

"Val, trust me."

She jumped in.

"Chris!"

I grabbed her and helped her to shore.

"Just keep kicking, alright?"

When we got to shore, she said, "Never make me do that again."

"Only if we need to-?"

"NO. Never."

Val got her inner flame up and got us all dry again, and then we walked up the stairs.

We went on until we came to a lobby on the thirteenth floor.

"Let's rest a little bit," I said.

We each had an Apple, but then there was another tremor. This time, I could see pieces of the tower falling outside.

"We need to hurry!" insisted Val, "If Temporal Tower collapses, then time will stop!"

On the sixteenth floor, we were ambushed by a Porygon, a Porygon 2, and a Porygon Z.

"Get 'em!" said Porygon 2.

Porygon charged at me, but then he was knocked off course by Porygon Z, who had charged at him.

"THEM! Not us, you crazy shit," said Porygon to his crazy cousin.

I Aura Sphere'd Porygon while Val Flamethrower'd Porygon 2.

Porygon Z shrugged and floated away.

"Something tells me he's crazy," I said.

"How do you know it wasn't a she?" asked Val.

"Do you want it to be a she?"

"Now that you mention it... no."

We kept going.

By the twenty-second floor, we were pretty beat, and then just to our luck, we stumbled into a Monster House.

"Crap!" I exclaimed.

"Oh no, I don't think we're going to make it!"

A Metagross who seemed to be head of the horde said, "Heh, you two are gonna make pretty good trophies.

We were about to be demolished, but suddenly, someone came to our aid.

He got between us and him. Whoever it was spread out his red and blue tentacles, and they suddenly became hands.

"Deoxys?" asked Metagross in shock.

He turned to us. "Get out of here, the staircase isn't far. You need to save time."

"Wha- why?" I was stupefied.

"I got the message from Celebi. GO!"

We turned and ran for the staircase.

* * *

><p>When we made it up those stairs, we were on the roof.<p>

"Holy shit," I said, "We made it to the top."

"Temporal Pinnacle," said Val, "This is it."

Suddenly, there was a loud boom.

We looked up and saw a red swirling maelstrom of thunderclouds. Lightning was jumping from cloud to cloud and the whole thing looked very fierce.

"The sky's going crazy!" said Val.

"We need to figure out what to do!" I stated.

We looked around, and eventually, my eyes settled on a stone decoration with the intricacy of a stained glass window.

"Check _that _out."

We walked up to it. It was on top of an elevated platform with almost a full flight of stairs. It was very ornate.

"That's an odd circle design," observed Val.

It was very odd, but it looked as if there were five slots. Five Time Gears.

"Val! This is where we need to put the Time Gears!"

"Do you think so?"

"Definitely! Check it out! Five slots, five Time Gears!"

"That makes sense. Let's try it."

I had just taken one out of Grovyle's satchel when everything went dark.

"Crap," I said, "That's never good."

A force blasted us away from the stairs.

"WAH!"

We flew through the air and crashed to a halt twenty yards from the platform. The Time Gears were scattered around its base.

"YOU HAVE COME TO DEFACE THIS PLACE?!" Bellowed a voice.

I muttered, "It was like this when we found it..."

"Chris!"

Someone appeared in front of us when the lights came back on.

"Dialga!" we yelled.

He was incredible, almost eight times our size. His diamond glistened, and there were orange lines tracing down his blue and white body. He stomped his front foot and bellowed, "LEAVE THIS PLACE IMMEDIATELY!"

"Hang on," I said, "We need to put the Time Gears in their place!"

"YOU HAVE NONE!"

"But if you look behind you-" I was interrupted.

"LEAVE OR DIE!"

"He's going crazy," said Val, "We can't reason with him."

"Alright, we have no other choice. We'll have to beat some sense into him!"

"We're going to fight Dialga!?"

"We have to."

I led in with a Quick Attack. Val used Flamethrower.

Neither attack did anything and Dialga responded with something much more powerful.

"RAAAAH!"

He roared and it was almost as if we were being crushed by an 18-wheeler. And you don't want to know how that feels like.

Dialga used Roar of Time.

We were both immediately on our knees, so to speak.

"Shit! He's strong!" I said.

"What do we do?"

"Find cover!"

We ran behind some pillars, and Dialga started firing powerful Water Pulses at them.

"Good thing he's lost some intelligence along with his reason," I said. He could easily walk around the pillar.

"These pillars aren't going to hold for very long," said Val, "We're doomed!"

"There has to be something we can do!" I insisted. Suddenly, I realized something. "We don't have to beat him."

"What?"

"We only need to put the Time Gears in that thingy over there!"

"So? We can't get there while he's attacking us."

I thought a while longer. My mind drifted back to my last night at the Guild.

_"...they're Hollywood blanks! ... Their loud report and especially large flash are very useful for distraction."_

"I have an idea," I said.

"What is it?" asked Val hopefully.

"I'll distract Dialga, and you'll go put the Time Gears in their places."

"That's suicide and you know it!"

I wasn't afraid. I was already told I was going to die, so that was old news. I instead retorted, "Not doing it will get us both killed. Besides, I have a few tricks up my sleeve."

Val said, "Just- please don't kill yourself. I don't know what I'd do without you."

That one caught me off guard. I put the consequences out of my mind, and said, "When he comes at me, run."

I ran out, waved, and yelled, "HEY ASSHOLE! OVER HERE!"

Dialga came over and fired a Water Pulse at me.

I dodged and taunted, "Come on, you big ugly bitch."

Behind him, I saw Val start running. Dialga realized what we were trying to pull, and turned around and went for her.

Val screamed.

I pulled out my Glock and fired it at Dialga.

A little known fact about firing blanks is that they can still injure out to 2 meters.

They sting quite a bit.

"ARGH!" Dialga turned around and charged at me.

Val was shocked at my gun, but she kept running.

"You want some more?!" I said as I ran. I fired more shots at Dialga.

The rounds kept him busy.

"YEAH! Take that!"

I was leading him around, and even getting a little cocky.

Then the slide locked back.

"Oh, _shit!" _

Without the blanks to hold him off, Dialga was able to catch up to me.

_I hope I bought Val enough time..._

* * *

><p>Welcome to Val's Head<p>

I made it to the platform even though Dialga scared me.

I was a little shocked with Chris's gun, but I ignored it and collected all the Time Gears.

The Gears were scattered everywhere, so it took a while to find them all.

I finally got all five into Grovyle's satchel, and I hauled them up the stairs.

I was just about to start putting them in when I saw something that really scared me.

Dialga had caught up to Chris, and he was crushing him with his foot.

"Chris!"

I ran up to them and launched a Blast Burn. It was enough to get Dialga away from Chris, barely.

He was bruised all over, and I think he might've had some broken bones, but he managed to cough, "Val! The Time Gears!"

"I couldn't leave you!"

"Go!" he yelled, "I can hold him off a little longer!"

"But-"

_"GO!"_

I left Chris and went to put in all the Time Gears.

I counted off each one I put in. "One, two, three, four- where's the fifth?!"

I looked, but I couldn't find it.

Suddenly, someone flew at me.

"WAAAAH!" Chris landed in a bloody heap.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"The Gears," he moaned.

"I can't find the last one!"

He reached into Grovyle's satchel, and pulled it out.

"Oh..." I said. I felt really stupid.

He tried to stand, but he couldn't. He fell, and the Gear rolled to my paws.

I picked it up and slotted it in the last hole.

"We did it!" I yelled.

Chris softly repeated, "We did it. Holy shit. We did it."

Suddenly, the biggest tremor yet striked.

"What's going on?" asked Chris as he struggled to get up.

I fell down. "I don't know! Were we too late?"

The tower was struck by lightning, and it was beginning to fall apart.

Everything was consumed by a white flash, and we both fainted.

* * *

><p>When I came to, Chris was shaking me.<p>

"Damn it, this place is a war zone. Wake up, Val! I can't have you die on me, not after- everything," said Chris. His voice had cracked a little. "There needs to be at least one of us left."

I opened my eyes. "Hey, are you crying?"

"N-No! Just, something in my eyes," he said.

"You were crying, weren't you?"

He hugged me. "Just shut up."

"What did you mean by 'there needs to be at least one of us left?'?"

"I-I don't know." He was lying.

"What happened?"

"YOU ARE AT TEMPORAL TOWER," called Dialga.

"Whoa!" said Chris, "D-Don't kill us!"

"Don't worry," he said, "I've got my wits about me this time. Temporal Tower has taken heavy damage, but it survived. Now observe."

He placed a foot against both of us, and all of a sudden, I saw a field.

"Uh," said Chris, "I'm sorry, what the hell?"

"Dialga must be using telepathy to show us this." I said.

"Hang on, this- this is Treeshroud Forest! Time's been restored!"

"Now that Temporal Tower is safe, time has been restored everywhere." explained Dialga.

Then, the view shifted to a view of Treasure Town.

"Hey, everyone's alright!" I said.

The market was bustling, and I could even see Marill chasing Azurill to Kecleon Market.

"Wow," said Chris.

The view shifted over the sea to the Hidden Land, which had been ravaged. It had been torn in two, almost. Lapras could be seen doing laps around where we got off.

"Heh, she's working hard," said Chris.

"What happened to the Hidden Land?" I asked.

Dialga explained, "It was ravaged as time tore itself apart. Fortunately, you two got the Time Gears in their place just before it passed the point of no return."

"Oh," said Chris, "that reminds me. _Why _was time screwing up in the first place?"

"Um," said Dialga, "That's, err, sensitive information."

He coughed.

The view shifted to Temporal Tower. It had large chunks missing (floating away, actually) and it looked like it shouldn't have been standing.

"Whoa," said Chris, "Do you not have gravity here, or something?"

"It will be repaired, don't worry."

Our views returned to normal.

"The Time Gears have been returned to their rightful places, and time has been restored where disrupted," said Dialga, "You should go, now. Lapras is waiting."

"Okay," I said.

* * *

><p>We scaled down the tower. All the time, Chris seemed, I don't know, fidgety. As if he felt something terrible were about to happen.<p>

We were walking back to the Rainbow Stoneship when a weak tremor struck.

* * *

><p>Welcome to Chris's Head<p>

With all these tremors, you'd think I'd have gotten used to it by now.

However, this one felt as if it was meant for me.

I lost my balance and fell forward.

I quickly stood up before Val could notice.

"Wow," she said, "Things must still be settling down. Let's hurry. Lapras might be getting worried."

"Yeah," I said. Something told me she was only worried about one of us, though.

We kept walking, and I kept thinking: _Why am I still here? When will I be erased?_

"Come on, Chris, hurry up!" said Val, "If we hurry, we might make it back in time for dinner."

_She knows me so well. _I picked up the pace, but it was hard; my legs felt like they were made of lead.

_I wonder what death is like. Is it maybe what I'm feeling now?_

"Chris, seriously. You're usually the one who's begging _me_ to speed up. What's wrong?"

"I-I've kept a secret from you," I admitted.

"What?" Val's eyes went wide, and she suddenly asked, "What's that light?"

A light was beginning to envelop me, but it wasn't like how my aura flared when I got emotional. It was, different.

"I-I think this might be it..."

"This might be what? What haven't you told me?"

"I never told you what Dusknoir told me, and what Grovyle confirmed," I said.

"What are you talking about?"

"When we changed what happened here, the future will disappear."

"What?! Why?"

"Without what caused it to happen, it never will happen. The only reason I'm here, right now, is because time was destroyed. And now that everything's settling down," I began to tear up and my voice cracked, "There's just one thing left to fix."

"No," said Val.

"Me."

"No! You can't go! You- You're the only reason I was able to become an explorer in the first place!"

"I'm not that important, cosmically. Everyone'll get on fine without me around," I insisted.

Val yelled, "Don't say that! You're important to me! You matter to everyone back at the Guild. They care for you!" She sniffled. "I need you."

I said, "Please, don't cry. If you cry, then I'll cry, too. And I promised myself I wouldn't cry."

"But, you're my partner. You can't go."

"I don't want to go, either. Val, if there is an afterlife-"

"Don't talk like that!"

"-then I'll never forget you. Can you promise me you won't forget me?"

"You know the answer to that."

"Thank you." I chuckled wryly. "You know, at the beginning of all this, I couldn't wait to leave. But, you know what?"

"What?" asked Val.

"Now I don't want to say goodbye."

"Neither do I," said Val through tears.

"But, even though you gave me the best time of my life, I have to say it." I tried to smile as I said it, but I'm still pretty sure I cried. "Goodbye, Valerie."

Suddenly, the light became unbearably bright to me, and I lost all feeling.

* * *

><p>Welcome to Val's Head<p>

And all of a sudden, when the light was gone, my partner, who had come to mean so much to me, was gone.

And then, I did the only thing left to do.

I cried.

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: I always have a soft spot for ending like this. I _really _hope I didn't butcher the emotional scene up. I can never get anything other than humor or soft feelings in because I'm a callous bastard who can't cry when sad things happen in books. Except for that one time, in Bridge to Terabithia, when-_**

_**Oh, God. *sob***_

_**Alright, maybe I do have a heart. But I'm still pretty sure I can't evoke those kinds of feelings. Anyhoo, I'm almost done here. I'm going to make the next chapter a rush order. If we're lucky, I can get it out later today.**_

_**Okay. *insert review request here* This is CrizBN, signing off.**_


	30. Epilogue: A Homecoming of Sorts

Chapter 30: Epilogue: A Homecoming of Sorts

Welcome to Val's Head

Eventually, I realized that crying never solved anything, and I decided that I needed to get back to the Guild.

_I have to tell them what happened._

I slowly walked along the path, until I came upon-

"The Stoneship," I said it aloud out of habit. I almost looked back before I realized:

_I'm alone again._

I suddenly felt apprehensive. Almost as if that this would be the final nail in Chris's coffin.

"No. I need to go. I need to be brave; it's what he would've wanted."

I stepped onto it, and it instantly started taking me away.

* * *

><p>I let my thoughts drift, and before I knew it, I was walking up to Lapras.<p>

She sailed up to me and asked, "Are you okay?"

I nodded. "They're gone," I said plainly.

"Come on, let's get you home."

I climbed on her back, and even though it was around noon, I ate a Sleep Seed, and I slept all the way to Treasure Town without any dreams.

Just black.

_I wonder if that's what death is. Peaceful blackness._

* * *

><p>When I woke up, Lapras was looking at me intently.<p>

"You're home, Val," she said.

I climbed off and bid farewell to Lapras as she swam away.

I started the walk back to the Guild as the sun started to set.

_It was just like this when we came to start our team._

* * *

><p>I looked up, and I was already at Wigglytuff Guild.<p>

When I stepped onto the grate, Diglett and Loudred started their routine.

I didn't listen, but Diglett popped up to greet me. Everybody else came out immediately after, but they all had a puzzled expression, because someone was missing.

At long last, Wigglytuff came out with a knowing expression, and said to me, personally:

"I know you lost him."

Suddenly, the Guild burst into sympathetic remarks towards me.

In response, I merely said, "I think I need some time alone."

I retired to my crew room without a meal.

* * *

><p>In that first week, everyone thought they had to console me for my loss.<p>

Even Team Skull sent a letter expressing their "sincere condolences."

* * *

><p>As time went on, life returned to normal. I decided to take up sharing the story of what had happened at Temporal Tower.<p>

Somehow, I felt that it might make the world a better place. Or at least keep Chris alive, somehow.

Wigglytuff and Chatot approved, because they said it would help me get past my grief.

Yeah, right.

* * *

><p>Months passed, and Flora and Steele came back to visit.<p>

When they spoke to me, they carefully danced around the subject of Chris, instead sticking to things that had happened after I came back.

Not much had happened on my side, but they had become some of their Guild's best explorers.

Flora and Steele offered to let me come with them when they left to head to Roselia Guild again, but I decided against it.

I couldn't stand leaving.

* * *

><p>One day, I decided to head to the beach.<p>

I passed by Bidoof and Corphish on my way out.

"Hey, hey, hey," said Corphish, "where are you heading?"

"I'm going for a walk," I said.

"Well, don't take too long," said Bidoof, "I told Corphish to come back because it's almost dinner, yup, yup!

"Okay."

* * *

><p>I walked down to the beach. At the beach, the waves were slowly lapping against the sand, and the Krabby were blowing bubbles which each individually reflected the sunset. All in all, it was quite a sight.<p>

"Oh, it's still just as beautiful as the last time I saw them," I said.

Suddenly, I realized just when the last time I saw the bubbles was.

I though back to that time.

"The last time, was when I first met Chris, wasn't it?"

I looked over to where I found him. All there was to greet me was sand, and the entrance to Beach Cave.

_Our first adventure together._

I walked over to that spot in the sand.

"This is where I asked him to start an exploration team," I said to myself.

* * *

><p><em>"...do you want to form an exploration team with me?"<em>

_"What's that?" _Back then, I didn't truly believe he used to human, to be honest. But his confusion there was genuine. So I told him what it was anyway.

It took a little convincing, but eventually, he responded with the answer that started everything.

_"Alright then, I guess I'm in."_

* * *

><p>I thought back to all our adventures together.<p>

* * *

><p><em>"Hey, Chris, can you think of a good team name? I'm drawing a blank here."<em>

_"Um... Team Checkmate. It just sounds right."_

* * *

><p><em>"Okay," <em>said Chris as we prepared to jump into the water fall, _"We go on three. And don't hesitate. One, two, THREE!"_

We ran, and then we jumped._ "WAH!"_

* * *

><p><em>"Are you seeing it, Chris? It's magical. Promise me you won't forget," <em>I said as we sat on the shore of Fogbound Lake.

_"I promise on my soul, that I will never forget this. As long as you don't forget this." _He gave me a kiss to the cheek.

_I didn't forget, Chris._

* * *

><p><em>"So, is it alright if I call you Val?"<em>

_"I guess."_

* * *

><p>As he approached, Grovyle said, <em>"Now, get out of the way, Valerie." <em>When I held my ground, he continued, _"So you refuse, eh? Then forgive me."_

He almost got me, but then, an Aura Sphere hit him in the face. I'm not sure if Chris remembered he did it afterwards, because that's when he fainted.

* * *

><p>The older Chris said, <em>"Now look at me, and don't tell."<em>

I curled up next to my Chris and said, _"I'm scared."_

_"Me too," _he said as he pulled me close.

* * *

><p><em>"Ahem. Now that's out of the way,"<em> said Chatot,_ "I shall tell all of you our plans for searching for the Hidden Land."_

_"You cooked one up so quickly?"_ asked Chris.

_"Uh, no,"_ said Chatot, _"We were going to base it on whatever information you have on the possible location of the Hidden Land."_

Chris gave everyone a sheepish grin. _"Oh, well, that's kind of funny, because, you see, we have no clue where it is."_

Everyone groaned, and I smiled at how stupid he was back then.

* * *

><p><em>"Remember back on the beach before we left?"<em>

_"What about it?"_

_"You said you fell in love once. Who did you fall in love with?"_

I chuckled a little._ "You still don't know? I'll give you some more hints."_

_"Like I said before, he's kind, and sometimes really stupid. He's also super cute..."_ I walked up to him and put my paw on top of his ears. _"...about this tall, and he's crazy."_

_"Um..."_

I sighed._ "It's you, silly!"_

_"What?" _He was so shocked, that I nearly burst out into laughter. _"I'm cute?"_

_"Yeah! You're okay with that, right?"_

_"Of course! Uh, well, I-I mean, well, uh..."_

I laughed, _"You are such an idiot. So you like me back?"_

_"Yeah, it's just-" _I knew now what he wanted to say, but couldn't.

* * *

><p><em>"Come on," <em>I said encouragingly, _"We're partners, you can tell me." _

_"I-I kinda like you."_

_"Oh, really?"_ I asked, _"What do you mean 'like?'"_

_"Uh... Um... I, uh,-"_ At that point, I tackled him and gave him a kiss.

I quickly pulled away, and I told him, _"That was the first time I kissed a guy."_

_"Same here." _He had a blank expression on his face, then quickly added,_ "I mean girl!"_

_"I know what you mean, stupid." _I hit him lightly.

* * *

><p><em>"You know, at the beginning of all this, I couldn't wait to leave. But, you know what?"<em> Chris asked as he was enveloped by the light.

_"What?"_ I asked.

_"Now I don't want to say goodbye."_

_"Neither do I,"_ I said through tears.

_"But, even though you gave me the best time of my life, I have to say it." _I could tell he was trying to be strong, but even as he smiled through his tears, I could tell that his heart was breaking._ "Goodbye, Valerie."_

And when the light became too bright, I closed my eyes.

And then he was gone.

* * *

><p>"Hey, hey, hey! I've been looking everywhere for you!" called Corphish.<p>

It was then that I realized that my memories were all I had left of Chris.

"Val, is something wrong?"

At that point, I collapsed.

"I miss him," I sobbed, "I miss Chris, Corphish. Why did he have to disappear?!"

"Val..."

I sobbed, and this time, I wasn't sure if I was ever going to stop.

* * *

><p>In Another Place<p>

After the light subsided, I found that I was kind of, just, not there.

It was peaceful, not having to think. I barely knew who I was, not that I really cared. I'm not entirely certain how much time passed.

I remembered one thing though.

It was an image.

Sitting at the edge of one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, a ginger-furred fox with six tails was smiling at me.

For some reason, I felt happy and sad at the same time when I thought about her.

Eventually, I came to.

* * *

><p>I sat up on the ground to someone staring at me. He was a Grovyle.<p>

"I knew you would come here eventually," he said.

I still hadn't gotten my thoughts together, so I looked around. I was on a white plane. Infinite in all directions, but shrouded in fog.

"Grovyle?" I asked eventually as I got all my thoughts back, "What are we doing here?"

"I think that this is where you go when you are erased from time."

"Are we the only ones here?" I stood up. I was still a Riolu, so Grovyle still had some height on me.

"I'm afraid so."

I looked around one more time. "Well, now what?"

"I've never actually given any thought to what we would do when we succeeded," said Grovyle.

"So, what happened on your side?" I asked.

"Oh, it's a long story," said Grovyle.

"We have a very long time."

Grovyle proceeded to detail to me a lengthy story involving Dusknoir, shotguns, handcuffs, stains on a couch, a big rock, a red menacing button, the end of the world, and a man wearing a bowtie and fez.

Not in that order.

"Wow," I said, "That must've been something."

"What happened to you and Val?"

"You know, we saved time," I said. I then grinned and bragged, "I shot Dialga in the face."

"You killed him!?" Grovyle seemed shocked.

"I was shooting blanks," I defended.

"Where did you get a gun?"

"Found it."

He sighed. "I'm almost regretting doing this."

"Yeah," I said, "Victory sucks."

We just stuck around for a while.

Eventually, Grovyle said he'd look for some others.

* * *

><p>After he left, I dozed off quickly. When I woke up, Grovyle still wasn't there.<p>

"Grovyle?" I called.

A nearby voice said, "He is gone." It was a deep male voice, and the way it spoke was very impersonal.

I looked around, but I couldn't find the source. "Gone? What do you mean gone?"

"He left you, just like you left her," said the voice.

"Sh-shut up! That's not my fault!"

"You kept it a secret! And now you've broken her!"

"No! I didn't-"

Suddenly, I saw Val on the beach, crying as Corphish tried to calm her down.

"Val!" I yelled.

"You can't return."

I cried, "Screw you!"

"She cannot be yours."

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" I put my paws over my ears and closed my eyes.

"You cannot be a part of her world." That voice was persistent.

"I wish I could," I sobbed, "I wish that I could be with her again."

The voice suddenly stopped. After a while, someone else spoke. They sounded like a little kid. "Are you sure you want to go back?"

"I've never wanted anything more," I said.

The voice told me, "Open your eyes, Chris."

I opened them, and suddenly, I realized I was covered in the same light as from before.

"What's going on?!" I asked.

Someone flew in front of me. I could see who I was talking to, at last.

Jirachi said, "I'm granting your wish."

Suddenly, the light blinded me.

* * *

><p>When I regained my vision, I could feel sand beneath me.<p>

I looked around. I was on the same beach where I met Val.

I looked ahead, and I could see Val crying while Corphish tried to comfort her.

I started to walk towards them. Corphish looked up, and his jaw dropped.

I placed a paw on Val's back and asked, "Why are you crying, Val?"

She said, "Because, you disappeared and-" She suddenly realized who she was talking to. "Chris!" She turned around.

I tried to think of something to say. Something witty and charming and funny, but the best I could muster was:

"Hi, Val."

She tackled me, and started crying. I joined in.

But that wasn't because we were sad; it was because we were together again.

And for that one shining moment, under the Krabby's bubbles and the sunset on the beach, everything was perfect.

* * *

><p>The End<p>

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: WOO! I've finally wrapped this story up. I can finally say that I completed what I started. Anyway, I hope I didn't butcher this part up, either. If you have a bone to pick about what I've written, why not review? And if you don't, why not review anyway?**_

_**Anyway, it's been a real fun time. I'm going to take a break, now. Maybe someday, I'll continue this, but right now, for the sake of my mental health, I'm going on hiatus.**_

_**So, for a while, but not forever:**_

_**This is CrizBN, signing off.**_

_**For now.**_


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